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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 

MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


LIFE  ON  THE  OCEAN. 


CAPTAIN   W.    C.    PADDACK 


LIFE  ON  THE  OCEAN 

<®t  Cjjirtp  $i\)t  fears?  at  &ea 

BEING    THE 
PERSONAL  ADVENTURES  OF  THE  AUTHOR 


WILLIAM    C.   PADDACK 

FOR   TWENTY-EIGHT    YEARS    CAPTAIN    IN    THE    MERCHANT 
SERVICE    OF    THE    UNITED   STATES 


$w* 


CAMBRIDGE 

JBrintrD  at  tfjr  UitJersioc  press 

1S93 


Copyright,  1893, 
By  WILLIAM  C.  PADDACK. 


The  Riverside  Press,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 
Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  H.  O.  Houghton  &  Company. 


-^3 


PREFACE. 


All  the  incidents  of  this  hook  are  facts 
from  my  own  personal  experience  during 
thirty-five  years  passed  upon  the  ocean.  Of 
that  time  I  spent  four  years  on  hoard  of  a 
whaleship,  and  thirty-one  years  on  board  of 
merchant  vessels.  I  do  not  pretend  to  be  a 
literary  character ;  but  I  do  claim  to  know 
how  to  rig  and  sail  a  ship,  and  to  be  familiar 
with  whatever  is  connected  with  a  nautical 
life. 

W.  C.  P. 


M3172S6 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

Introductory  :  Early  Years  —  School-days  —  Incli- 
nation for  the  Sea  —  Captain  Hussey's  Advice  — 
Signing  the  Ship's  Articles  —  My  Aunt's  Last 
Words  —  Good-by 1 

CHAPTER   II. 

On  Board  the  Ship  Planter :  Ship's  Company  — 
Captain's    Speech  —  Watches  —  Officers'    Duties 

—  Discipline  —  Ship  Duty  —  Seasickness  — 
Practicing  the  Crew  —  Flores  —  Corvo  —  Azores 
described  —  Our  First  Whale  —  Fayal  —  Island 
Trade 5 

CHAPTER   III. 

Rounding  the  Cape  :  Sunday  at  Sea  —  Catamarans 

—  Off  the  Coast  of  Brazil  —  The  Pampero  — 
Falkland  Islands  —  Staten  Island  —  Man  Over- 
board —  Albatrosses  —  Cape  Horn  —  In  the  Pa- 
cific Ocean  —  Talcahuana  —  Sailor's  "  Liberty  "     20 

CHAPTER   IV. 

In  the  South  Pacific  :  Talcahuana —  Making  Sail  — 
Once  more  at  Sea  —  Bound  for  Juan  Fernandez 


via  CONTENTS. 

—  Goat  Island  —  Adventures  with  Sharks  — 
Going  Ashore  at  Goat  Island  —  Search  for  a 
Lost  Dog  —  Island  of  Mas-£-Fuera  —  A  Good 
Catch  —  Juan  Fernandez  —  Tombez,  Peru  — 
Abington  Island  —  Seal-hunting  —  Albemarle 
Island  —  Galapagos  Islands  —  Terrapin    ...     37 

CHAPTER  V. 

Cruising  among  the  Kingsmill  Group :  Sydenham 
Island  —  A  Big  Whale  —  Pitt's  Island  —  Back 
to  Sydenham  —  Village  on  Woodle's  Island  — 
Kingsmill  or  Gilbert  Islands  —  Ocean  Island  — 
Two  Whales  —  At  Pleasant  Island  —  Trading 
with  a  Colored  Man  from  New  Bedford  —  The 
Bark  Belle  —  With  Captain  Hussey  on  Morgan 
Island  —  Our  House  —  Climate  and  People  — 
Canoe  Building  —  Marriage  Customs  —  Native 
Dentistry  —  Visit  from  the  Planter  —  A  Strange 
Ship  —  Leave  the  Island  —  Native  Smoking  Hab- 
its —  Sydney 53 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Second  Cruise  among  the  Kingsmill  Group :  Tanna 
Island  —  Pleasant  Reception  at  Woodle's  Island 
—  Old  Friends  —  Hall's  and  Pitt's  Islands  — 
Morgan  Island  —  Native  Mode  of  making  Cocoa- 
nut  Oil  —  A  Murder  —  Exciting  Adventure 
witb  a  Wbale  —  Death  of  a  Shipmate  —  Burial 
at  Sea  —  Attacked  by  Natives  at  Charlotte  Is- 
land —  Bad  Meat  —  A  Mutiny  and  its  Result  — 
A  Tough  Customer  —  Solomon  Islands  —  Drum- 
mond  Island  —  Hall's  Island  —  Second  Stay  on 
Morgan    Island  —  King  Amannook    takes  Pas- 


COX  TEXTS.  ix 

sage  for  Sydney  —  A  Wreck  on  Bampton  Reef 

—  Sydney  —  The  King  sees  the  Sights     ...     78 

CHAPTER   VII. 

Third  Cruise  among  the  Kingsmill  Group :  At- 
tempted Arrest  of  Captain  Hussey  at  Sydney  — 
He  goes  to  Lord  Howe's  Island  —  Mr.  Fisher  in 
Command  of  the  Planter  —  The  Planter  sails  for 
the  Kingsmill  Group  —  Lord  Howe's  Island  — 
Captain  Hussey  returns  to  the  Ship  —  A  Hard 
Fight  —  Drummond  Island  —  Woodle's  and 
Hall's  Islands  —  Morgan  Island  —  King  Aman- 
nook  at  Home  —  Captain  Handy's  Sharp  Prac- 
tice —  We  get  our  Oil  —  Another  Big  Antagonist 

—  Ocean  and  Pleasant  Islands — Canoes  of  the 
Drummond  Islanders  —  Wreck  of  the  Flying 
Fox  —  Pitt's  Island  —  Captain  Hussey  meets 
Captain  Handy  —  A  Sixty-Barrel  Whale  —  The 
Sailor's  Saturday  Night — A  Murder  at  Drum- 
mond Island  —  More  Whales  —  Sail  for  the 
Caroline  Islands 113 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Homeward  Bound  :  Strong's  Island  —  The  Caroline 
Islands  —  Captain  Hussey  leaves  the  Planter  — 
Going  Home  —  Juan  Fernandez  —  Round  the 
Cape  —  Pernamhuco  —  On  Shore  —  Yellow  Fe- 
ver —  A    Serious  Mishap  —  Leave  Pernamhuco 

—  Block  Island  —  The  Planter  arrives  at  Nan- 
tucket —  Meetings  with  Friends  —  Mates  of  the 
Planter  arrested  for  Murder  —  Crew  detained  as 
Witnesses  —  Mates  Acquitted  —  Captain  Hus- 
sey's  Case  before  the  Grand  Jury  —  "No  Bill" 
Found 138 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Mediterranean  Voyages :  Gold  Digging  in  Cali- 
fornia —  Brig  William  Penn  at  Strong's  Island 

—  Murder  of  Captain  Hussey  —  Coasting  on  the 
Pacific  —  Return  Home  —  Captain  of  Schooner 
Broadfield  —  Encounter  with  Drunken  Sailors  at 
Malaga — At  Kingston,  Jamaica  —  Brig  Lucy 
Atwood  —  Brig  Martha  Kendall  bound  for  Tri- 
este —  Beating  up  Straits  of  Gibraltar  —  The 
Adi'iatic  —  Trieste  —  Palermo  —  Exciting  Times 

—  From  Wilmington  to  Marseilles  —  Second 
Visit  to  Palermo  —  Hospitalities  —  Description 
of    the    City  —  Homeward    Voyage  —  Hamburg 

—  Seville  —  Cadiz  —  Rio  Grande  do  Sul  — 
Coasting  Trips  —  New  Orleans 151 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Bark  Faith  :  Bordeaux  —  From  New  Orleans 
to  Philadelphia  —  Heavy  Weather  —  A  German 
Passenger  —  Port  Royal,  S.  C.  —  The  Bark  sold 

—  The  Brig  Keying  —  Experience  with  a  Canal 
Boat 173 

CHAPTER   XI. 

In  the  Brig  Kate  Stewart :  From  Philadelphia  to 
Pensacola  —  A  Colored  Crew  —  Trouble  with  the 
Crew  —  Coasting  Trips  —  At  Mobile  —  Fever 
on  Board  — The  Cook's  Wife— To  Cork  for 
Orders  —  Cork  —  Antwerp  —  Chartered  to  Load 
for  Genoa  —  Controversy  with  Charterer's  Agent 

—  Leave  Antwerp  —  Obliged  to  Anchor  in    the 


CONTENTS.  xi 

Downs  —  Death  of  Little  Son  —  Embalming  the 
Body  —  Genoa  —  At  Palermo  —  Return  to  Phila- 
delphia —  At  New  Bedford  —  Burial  of  Child  — 
Coasting  Trips  —  Go  to  Rio  de  Janeiro  —  A 
Heavy    Gale  —  Experiences — A    Leaky    Vessel 

—  Speak  a  Disabled  Schooner  —  In  Rio  de 
Janeiro  Harbor  —  The  Brig  condemned  and  sold 

—  In  the  Grocery  Business  —  Purchase  an  In- 
terest in  Schooner  Lath  Rich 180 


CHAPTER   XII. 

"West  Indian  Voyages :  From  New  Bedford  to  St. 
Michael's  in  Schooner  Lath  Rich  —  Heavy  Gale 

—  Mate  washed  Overboard  —  Put  into  Fayal 
for  Repairs  —  Hurricane  —  In  Collision  with  a 
Steamer  —  Loss  of  the  Schooner  —  In  Brig  Her- 
aid  for  Nova  Scotia  —  Surinam  River  —  Dutch 
Guiana  —  Take  Charge  of  a  German  Brier —  St. 
Lucia  —  Martinique  —  Bermuda  —  Barbadoes 

—  Port  of  Spain,  Trinidad  —  Bark  Ada  Carter 

—  Brunswick.  Ga.  —  Trinidad  —  Fort  de  France, 
Martinique  —  In  Business  in  Antigua  —  Schooner 
Lemuel  Hall  —  Hamburg 200 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

The  Steamer  Mississippi  :  First  Officer  and  Pilot 
—  First  Trip  to  the  Azores  —  Second  Trip  — 
Third  Trip  —  St.  Michael's  —  An  Unlucky  En- 
gineer —  A  Donkey  Ride  —  Ponta  Delgada  — 
Madeira  —  Funchal  —  Death  on  Board  —  Go  to 
Boston  —  Steamer  sold 215 


xii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

East  Indian  Voyages  :  Bark  Victor  bound  for 
Singapore  —  On  the  Coast  of  Java  —  Arrival  at 
Singapore  —  Homeward  Voyage  —  Second  Voy- 
age —  Penang  —  Singapore  —  Javanese  —  At 
Home  —  Third  Voyage  - —  Sailors'  Duties  —  Dol- 
drums —  At  Penang  —  At  Singapore  —  The 
Disaster  in  Strait  of  Sunda  —  Off  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  —  At  St.  Helena  —  The  Bark  Victor  sold 
—  Loss  of  the  Bark  —  Conclusion 227 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Portrait  of  Captain  W.  C  Paddack.     Frontispiece. 

Whaler  leaving  Home 6 

Cutting  In  a  Whale  off  Western  Islands    ....  16 

Fastening  to  a  Whale  —  One  Whaleboat  Bottom  up  54 

Canoe  and  Outrigger  of  the  Kingsmill  Islanders      .  126 

Portrait  of  Mrs.  Mary  I.  Paddack 196 

My  Daughter  as  she  appeared  on  our  Voyage  to 

the  Surinam  River 20") 

The  Bark  Victor,  my  last  Vessel,  in  the  China  Trade  228 


LIFE  ON  THE  OCEAN. 


CHAPTER   I. 

Introductory  :  Early  Years  —  School-days  —  Inclination 
for  the  Sea  —  Captain  Hussey's  Advice  —  Signing  the 
Ship's  Articles  —  My  Aunt's  Last  Words  —  Good-by. 

If  a  man  intends  to  relate  some  of  the  ad- 
ventures of  a  life  spent  upon  the  ocean,  it  is 
incumbent  on  him  to  give  some  account  of 
his  early  history.  I  was  born  December  19, 
1831,  in  South  Dartmouth,  Massachusetts, 
where  my  father  was  engaged  in  the  painting 
business.  When  I  was  a  year  old,  my  parents 
removed  to  Nantucket,  my  father's  birthplace. 
At  the  age  of  six  years,  I  was  sent  to  a  pri- 
mary school,  and  afterwards,  when  I  was  nine 
years  old,  to  a  Friends'  school,  taught  by 
John  Boadle,  who  later  came  to  New  Bed- 
ford, where  he  followed  the  same  calling. 
He  will  doubtless  be  remembered  by  many  of 
New  Bedford's  older  citizens.  At  this  school 
I  remained  for  five  years,  at  the  end  of  which 


2  INTRODUCTORY. 

term  I  entered  the  Academy,  where  I  studied 
two  years  longer. 

My  school-days  over,  my  mind  for  the  first 
time  became  engaged  with  thoughts  about  my 
future  course  in  life.  Often,  when  my  uncle 
returned  from  sea,  would  he  portray  in  glow- 
in  cr  colors  the  scenes  he  had  witnessed  in  for- 
eign lands.  As  I  listened  to  his  wonderful 
tales  of  seafaring  life,  my  young  imagination 
was  often  wrought  up  to  the  highest  pitch  of 
excitement  at  the  idea  of  exploring  the  track- 
less ocean  ;  and  to  me  the  prospect  of  tread- 
ing the  quarter-deck,  as  the  ruling  spirit  of 
some  stately  craft,  seemed  to  be  the  height  of 
my  ambition.  The  opportunities  which  I  had 
of  boarding  whalers,  when  they  came  home, 
and  of  conversing  with  seamen,  whom  I  re- 
garded as  the  finest  fellows  in  the  world,  by 
no  means  tended  to  abate  my  enthusiasm ; 
while  every  kind  of  dissuasion  was  resorted 
to,  in  consequence  of  the  repugnance  of  my 
mother  to  the  encouragement  and  gratifica- 
tion of  my  wishes. 

The  circumstances  which  led  to  the  final 
determination  of  my  course  were  these  : 
early  in  the  summer  of  the  year  1847  the 
ship  Planter  of  Nantucket,  Captain  Isaac  B. 
Hussey,  was  being  fitted  out  for  a  whaling 


SIGNING    THE   SHIP'S   ARTICLES.  3 

voyage  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Several  young 
men  of  my  acquaintance  had  engaged  to  em- 
bark in  her,  and  they  used  every  persuasion 
to  induce  me  to  accompany  them.  So  one 
morning  I  visited  the  ship  with  two  of  my 
young  friends,  who  had  already  signed  the 
ship's  articles,  and  in  a  short  time  made  up 
my  mind  to  ship  with  them,  providing  the 
captain  would  take  me.  When  I  went  home, 
I  conferred  with  my  mother  upon  the  subject, 
and  as  she  deemed  it  no  lono-er  advisable  to 
thwart  me  in  my  inclination,  I  repaired  to 
Captain  Hussey's  house,  where  I  found  him 
at  dinner.  I  immediately  made  known  my 
wishes.  "  William,"  he  said,  "  you  have 
chosen  a  life  full  of  toil  and  hazard,  and  as 
this  voyage  will  perhaps  be  one  of  great  peril, 
it  would  be  well  for  you  to  reflect  maturely 
upon  the  measure  you  are  about  to  adopt. 
Consult  your  mother,  and  if  you  are  still  de- 
termined to  go  to  sea  I  will  give  you  a  berth 
on  board  the  Planter."  I  was  now  satisfied, 
and  went  home  and  told  my  mother  that 
Captain  Hussey  would  give  me  a  chance  to  go 
in  the  ship.  After  dinner  I  went  to  the 
agent's  office  and  signed  the  ship's  articles  for 
the  one  hundred  and  sixtieth  lay. 

Between  this  time  and  the  day  appointed 


4  INTRODUCTORY. 

for  sailing,  my  mother  had  provided  me  with 
a  sea-chest,  well  stocked  with  clothing",  small 
stores,  books,  and  such  other  matters  as  she 
thought  necessary  for  my  comfort.  The  day 
before  my  departure  was  spent  in  calling  upon 
my  friends.  My  dear  aunt,  who  was  sick  at 
the  time,  said  to  me,  "  William,  you  are  now 
about  to  enter  upon  the  world,  and  will  soon 
be  far  beyond  the  control  and  friendly  advice 
of  your  mother  and  friends ;  you  will  be 
thrown  upon  your  own  resources,  and  it  will 
depend  much  upon  yourself  what  your  future 
condition  in  life  may  be."  She  also  told  me 
that  she  never  expected  to  see  me  again, 
which  prediction  proved  to  be  too  true,  for 
she  passed  away  during  my  absence.  On  the 
eventful  morning  the  sun  rose  clear,  the  sky 
was  serene,  and  the  water  was  as  smooth  as  in 
a  calm.  The  hour  for  my  departure  at  length 
arrived.  I  bade  adieu  to  my  family,  and,  the 
sound  of  "  God  bless  you "  ringing  in  my 
ears,  I  walked  rapidly  away  from  my  home, 
toward  the  wharf  where  the  boat  was  waiting 
to  take  us  to  the  ship,  which  was  lying  off  the 
bar  at  the  time.  A  few  minutes  later  I  was 
on  board,  and  the  duties  of  my  new  life  had 
begun. 


CHAPTER  II. 

On  Board  the  Ship  Planter :  Ship's  Company  —  Cap- 
tain's Speech  —  Watches  —  Officers'  Duties  —  Disci- 
pline —  Ship  Duty  —  Seasickness  —  Practicing  the 
Crew  —  Flores  —  Corvo  —  Azores  described  —  Our 
First  Whale  —  Fayal  —  Island  Trade. 

On  July  4,  1847,  the  ship  Planter  of  Nan- 
tucket sailed  from  that  port,  on  a  whaling 
voyage,  around  Cape  Horn,  in  the  South 
Pacific  Ocean.  She  was  commanded  by 
Captain  Isaac  B.  Hussey.  The  remainder  of 
her  company  were  :  Joseph  H.  Fisher,  first 
officer ;  William  H.  Chase,  second  officer ; 
Charles  G.  Macy,  cooper ;  Joseph  Warren, 
cooper's  mate  and  ship-keeper,  all  of  Nan- 
tucket ;  and  a  crew  of  twenty-five  men.  At 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  captain,  pilot, 
and  all  the  crew  went  on  board. 

The  wind  being  fair,  though  light,  orders 
were  given  to  man  the  windlass,  and  at  the 
same  time  some  of  the  crew  were  sent  aloft  to 
loose  the  sails.  In  a  little  while  the  sails 
were   hoisted,   and    the    anchor   was    released 


6  ON  BOARD    THE  SHIP   PLANTER. 

from  its  sandy  bed.  The  gentle  breeze  from 
the  shore  filled  our  sails,  and  at  length  the 
good  ship  Planter  was  heading  towards  Gay 
Head.  The  breeze  began  to  increase  from  the 
northeast,  and  we  soon  lost  sight  of  the  town 
of  oil  and  oily  men.  All  hands  were  now  em- 
ployed in  clearing  up  the  decks.  At  six 
o'clock  that  evening  we  rounded  the  ship  to 
and  discharged  our  pilot,  Gay  Head  light 
bearing:  N.  E.,  distance  four  miles.  We  then 
secured  our  anchor  on  the  bows,  after  which 
the  crew  were  called  aft  and  divided  into  two 
watches,  —  starboard  and  larboard.  Then 
boats'  crews  were  chosen,  when  I  was  drafted 
into  the  first  mate's  boat  and  allotted  to  the 
after  oar.  Captain  Hussey  next  addressed  the 
crew  as  follows :  "  Now,  my  men,  we  are 
bound  on  a  long,  and  perhaps  a  perilous 
voyage,  and  I  expect  every  man  on  board  will 
do  his  duty  and  obey  the  officers'  orders,  and 
we  will  get  along  well  together.  If  there  are 
any  who  desire  to  learn  navigation,  the  officers 
aft  will  instruct  you,  and  you  will  have  per- 
mission to  come  aft  in  your  watch  below, 
whenever  the  weather  will  permit."  After 
supper  we  set  the  dog-watches. 

An  explanation  of  the  watches  may  perhaps 
be  necessary  for  the  enlightenment  of  those  of 


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WA  TCHES.  7 

my  readers  who  have  never  been  at  sea.  The 
captain's  or  second  mate's  watch,  which  is  the 
starboard  watch,  always  takes  the  first  watch 
the  first  night  out,  —  that  is,  from  eight 
o'clock  until  twelve,  —  when  the  first  mate's, 
or  larboard,  watch  comes  on  deck,  and  the  star- 
board watch  goes  below  until  four  in  the 
morning.  The  starboard  watch  now  comes  on 
deck  again,  and  remains  until  eight,  when  the 
larboard  watch  is  called  and  the  starboard 
watch  goes  below  and  remains  until  twelve 
meridian.  Each  watch  serves  four  hours,  ex- 
cept that  the  time  from  four  to  eight  p.  M.  is 
divided  into  two  watches,  called  by  sailors  the 
dog-watch.  These  are  in  reality  two  half 
watches,  one  being  from  four  to  six,  and  the 
other  from  six  to  eight.  During  the  dog- 
watches, the  crew  are  generally  up  on  deck  ; 
some  are  busy  mending  clothes,  singing  songs, 
smoking,  while  others  are  on  the  forecastle 
playing  cards,  etc. 

The  captain  always  walks  on  the  weather 
side  of  the  quarter-deck,  the  first  mate  on  the 
lee  side,  the  second  mate  in  the  weather  gang- 
way, or  amidship,  and  the  boatsteerers  on  the 
main  hatch  and  lee  gangway.  The  crew  have 
the  whole  of  the  forward  part  of  the  ship,  that 
is  forward  of  the  try-works.     The  members  of 


8  ON   BOARD    THE  SHIP  PLANTER. 

the  crew  always  pass  on  the  lee  side  of  the 
deck  when  they  go  aft  to  relieve  the  wheel. 

At  daylight  the  watch  on  deck  is  set  at 
work,  some  coiling  up  the  rigging,  while  one 
man  in  the  main  chains  draws  water  and  fills 
a  large  tub  on  the  deck.  One  boatsteerer  is 
sent  aloft,  to  the  main-topgallant  cross-trees, 
where  he  can  command  a  full  view  of  the 
horizon,  and  at  the  same  time  a  man  from  the 
forecastle  goes  aloft  and  perches  himself  on 
the  fore-topgallant  cross-trees,  and  another  is 
stationed  on  the  mizzen-topgallant  cross-trees. 
Each  man  is  obliged  to  remain  on  duty  aloft 
two  hours  before  he  is  relieved.  The  officers 
also  take  their  turns  standing"  watch  at  the 
main-topgallant  cross-trees  after  the  decks 
are  washed  off.  At  half  past  seven  the  lar- 
board watch  is  called  for  breakfast.  At  eight 
the  watch  comes  on  deck  and  the  starboard 
watch  now  goes  below  and  remains  until 
twelve  meridian. 

The  captain  never  stands  a  watch ;  he 
comes  and  goes  as  he  pleases,  and  is  account- 
able to  no  one.  He  gives  his  orders  to  his 
first  officer,  and  seldom  interferes  with  him. 
The  first  and  second  officers  stand  no  watch 
except  when  making  passages,  and  when  try- 
ing out  whales.       The  boatsteerers  head  the 


SHIP   DUTY.  9 

watches  on  whaling  grounds  and  are  usually 
distributed  among  three  watches,  —  starboard, 
larboard,  and  waist.  The  first  mate  keeps  the 
log-book,  for  which  he  is  responsible  to  the 
owners  and  insurers,  in  case  of  any  disaster 
on  the  voyage.  He  also  has  charge  of  all 
the  provisions  and  of  the  stowing  down  of  oil. 
The  steward  has  charge  of  all  the  small  stores 
in  the  cabin,  and  gives  them  to  the  cook  when 
required.  The  cook  has  sole  control  of  the 
galley,  and  will  very  seldom  allow  any  one 
inside  of  it. 

Frequently  people  say  that  sailors  have  an 
easy  time  at  sea,  and  wonder  what  they  can 
find  to  do.  The  discipline  on  board  of  a  ship 
requires  every  man  on  deck  to  be  at  work. 
For  instance,  on  the  morning  of  our  second 
day  out,  after  the  decks  were  washed  and  the 
mastheads  manned,  the  boatsteerers  were  at 
work  getting  their  boats  ready  for  whaling. 
While  some  were  grinding  irons,  lances,  and 
spades,  others  were  putting  mats  and  battens 
on  the  rigging,  unbending  chains  and  stowing 
the  anchors  and  chains  below,  coiling  lines 
in  the  tubs,  filling  water  kegs,  and  furnishing 
lantern  kegs  with  lantern,  candles,  matches, 
and  bread,  which  are  always  kept  in  all  the 
boats,  in  case  they  are  caught  out  after  dark. 


10  ON  BOARD   THE   SHIP  PLANTER. 

Between  Nantucket  and  the  Western  Islands 
is  a  favorite  cruising  ground,  even  to  the 
present  day,  for  vessels  of  all  classes,  during 
the  summer  months.  The  lookouts  at  the 
mastheads  were  cautioned  to  keep  their  eyes 
open  and  see  if  they  could  raise  a  school  of 
sperm  whales. 

We  now  had  a  good  breeze  from  the  south- 
west, with  a  heavy  sea  running.  I  staggered 
about  the  deck,  and  managed  to  crawl  around, 
holding  on  the  rail.  When  I  began  to  experi- 
ence the  horrors  of  seasickness,  my  legs  failed 
me,  and  I  was  compelled  to  sit  down  upon  a 
spar.  I  was  not  the  only  sick  one  on  board, 
however.  The  mate  came  along-  where  I  was 
sitting,  and,  seeing  my  condition,  told  me  that 
I  would  soon  feel  better.  "  Stay  on  deck  as 
long  as  you  can,  for  if  you  go  below  you  will 
feel  worse."  Such  words  of  kindness  encour- 
aged me,  and  now  and  then  I  would  make 
an  effort  to  move  about,  but  I  could  hardly 
walk.  I  felt  very  weak  and  trembled  violently 
from  the  effect  of  vomiting.  This  continued 
for  several  days,  when  I  commenced  eating 
salt  beef,  and  found  that  it  was  not  so  bad  on 
an  empty  stomach,  and  from  that  time  I  sel- 
dom missed  a  meal  while  I  was  on  board  the 
good  ship  Planter. 


FLORES.  11 

July  6.  The  day  commenced  with  a  fine 
breeze  from  the  southwest.  Passed  several  in- 
ward and  outward  bound  steamers  and  sailing; 
vessels.  Employed  in  fitting  boats.  Cooper 
employed  in  making  deck  buckets.  Saw  sev- 
eral schools  of  porpoises. 

July  7.  This  day  fine,  pleasant  weather. 
At  two  p.  M.,  the  wind  being-  very  light, 
the  captain  ordered  all  the  boats  down,  to 
give  the  crew  practice  in  going  alongside 
of  whales,  which  was  done  by  throwing  large 
straw  hats  overboard,  and  the  boatsteerers 
throwing  lances  into  them,  and  the  officers 
ordering  the  men  to  stern  all,  stern  two,  and 
pull  ahead  three  ;  and  pull  ahead  two  and 
stern  three ;  and  pull  ahead  all,  and  stern  all. 
(This  was  done  several  times  on  the  outward 
passage  to  the  Western  Islands.)  This  day 
we  caught  a  fine  dolphin.  This  is  the  quick- 
est fish  that  swims  in  salt  water.  The  fish 
was  cleaned  and  cooked  for  the  cabin.  At 
four  p.  m.  we  went  on  board,  hoisted  our 
boats,  and  cleared  up  the  decks  for  the  night. 
Middle  parts  pleasant,  latter  parts  employed 
in  ship's  duties. 

From  this  date  until  July  25  we  had  fine, 
pleasant  weather,  all  sail  set.  At  eight 
a.  m.   we  made  Flores,   one  of    the  Western 


12  ON  BOARD    THE  SHIP  PLANTER. 

Islands,  which  is  situated  in  lat.  39°  22'  N., 
long.  31°  12'  W. 

I  would  here  say,  for  the  benefit  of  the  un- 
initiated, that  the  nautical  day  begins  and  ends 
at  noon. 

July  26.  Day  began  with  fine,  pleasant 
weather.  At  one  p.  m.  the  captain  went  on 
shore  with  his  boat's  crew.  We  loaded  our 
boat  with  potatoes  and  onions,  and  sailed  in 
the  evening  for  Corvo,  a  small  island  about 
ten  miles  north  of  Flores.  We  took  in  all 
light  sails;  middle  parts  pleasant.  At  six 
a.  m.  we  were  close  into  the  land.  The 
captain  and  second  mate  went  on  shore  with 
two  boats  for  recruits.  At  ten  a.  m.  boats 
came  alongside  loaded  with  potatoes,  onions, 
and  fruit ;  took  them  on  board,  and  the  boats 
went  on  shore  again.  I  went  in  the  captain's 
boat,  so  that  I  had  a  good  chance  to  see  the 
island.  Several  of  our  crew  were  sick  after 
leaving  home. 

July  27.  The  day  commenced  with  fine, 
pleasant  weather.  Several  boats  came  off 
from  the  island  with  fruit,  eggs,  and  wine. 
At  six  p.  m.  our  boats  also  came  off  with 
vegetables ;  took  them  on  board  and  hoisted 
the  boats,  and  stood  towards  Fayal.  Middle 
and  latter  parts  pleasant. 


THE  AZORES.  13 

■ 

The  Azores,  or  Western  Islands,  are  a 
scries  of  islands  in  the  North  Atlantic  Ocean 
belonging  to  the  kingdom  of  Portugal.  They 
extend  from  lat.  37°  to  40°  N.,  and  from 
lono\  25°  to  30°  W.,  and  are  about  800  miles 
from  the  coast  of  Portugal.  They  consist  of 
the  islands  of  Flores,  Corvo,  Terceira,  St. 
George,  Pico,  Fayal,  St.  Michael's,  and  St. 
Mary's,  with  many  smaller  islets,  of  which  St. 
Michael's  is  the  largest,  having  an  area  of 
about  350  square  miles.  The  islands  are 
especially  noted  for  their  delightful  climate 
and  fertile  soil.  They  are  of  volcanic  origin 
and  subject  to  occasional  eruptions.  Many 
fountains  of  boiling  water  are  also  found  on 
the  islands.  Being  lofty,  rugged,  and  precipi- 
tous, they  present  a  very  picturesque  appear- 
ance. Pico,  which  is  the  highest  of  the  is- 
lands, can  be  seen  a  distance  of  ninety  miles 
in  clear  weather.  One  hindrance  to  the  pros- 
perity of  the  islands  has  been  the  want  of 
good  harbors,  but  this  deficiency  has  been 
in  a  great  measure  removed  by  the  erection  of 
breakwaters.  They  export  large  quantities  of 
oranges,  lemons,  pine-apples,  wine,  and  wallow 
ware,  most  of  which  goes  to  Europe,  the  re- 
mainder being:  divided  between  Brazil  and 
the  United  States. 


14  ON  BOARD   THE  SHIP  PLANTER. 

The  bark  Sarah  of  Boston,  Captain  R.  L. 
Hale,  runs  regularly  between  that  port  and 
the  islands,  carrying  freight  and  passengers, 
and  returning  to  the  United  States  with  oil  left 
by  our  whalers,  and  passengers  for  New  Bed- 
ford, Boston,  and  San  Francisco. 

July  28.  The  day  commenced  with  fine, 
pleasant  weather.  Crew  employed  in  making 
baskets  out  of  hoops  and  rope  yarns,  and  fill- 
ino-  them  with  onions,  which  are  to  be  hunff 
up  under  the  boats.  While  we  were  at  this 
work  a  man  at  the  masthead  raised  a  school 
of  sperm  whales,  and  the  order  was  given  to 
call  all  hands,  haul  up  the  mainsail,  and  haul 
aback  the  main  yard.  As  the  whales  were 
not  more  than  a  mile  off,  the  men  were  ordered 
to  hoist  and  lower  the  boats,  when  we  all 
started  in  pursuit  of  the  whales.  This  is  the 
most  exciting  time  on  board  of  a  whaler,  for 
as  soon  as  whales  are  raised,  every  one  is  run- 
ning :  some  are  filling  the  water  kegs,  some  are 
getting  the  line  tubs  into  the  boats,  others  are 
casting  off  the  boats'  grips  and  getting  the 
falls  on  deck,  ready  to  hoist,  swing,  and 
lower  away.  The  whales  were  going  to  the 
windward  at  the  time,  so  we  were  compelled 
to  use  our  oars,  pulling  for  all  we  were  worth. 
The  captain  shouted,  "  Pull  strong,  my  boys  ; 


OUR    FIRST   WHALE.  15 

pull  ahead ;  pull  hard ;  pull,  ye  souls  of 
brass  !  '  We  were  almost  up  with  the  whales, 
and  a  minute  later  he  gave  the  order  for  the 
boatsteerer  to  stand  up.  "  Now  is  your  time  ; 
give  it  to  him  !  "  —  and  away  went  two  irons 
into  a  forty-barrel  sperm  whale.  Then  fol- 
lowed the  order,  "  Stern  all.  Stern  hard  !  ' 
At  times  the  whale  jumped  several  feet  out  of 
the  water.  As  soon  as  we  were  fast,  the  cap- 
tain went  forward,  and  the  boatsteerer  went 
aft  to  take  care  that  the  line  did  not  o-et  foul 
when  we  hauled  up  to  lance  the  whale.  It 
was  but  a  little  while  before  he  spouted  thick 
blood.  He  ran  a  short  distance,  when  he 
made  an  awful  splashing  and  jumped  out  of 
the  water.  We  were  now  ordered  to  take  our 
oars  in  case  he  came  for  us,  so  that  we  could 
pull  the  boat  out  of  the  way.  In  a  few  min- 
utes he  turned  up,  dead,  when  we  hauled  up 
alongside  of  him  and  cut  a  small  hole  in  bis 
head  and  fastened  a  line  through  it,  and 
started  for  the  ship.  In  the  mean  time  the 
other  two  boats  were  chasing  the  whales;  but 
after  we  struck  our  whale  they  all  started  fast 
to  the  windward.  It  was  not  long  before  the 
ship  came  alongside  of  us,  and,  the  whale  be- 
ing made  fast,  we  hoisted  the  boat.  By  this 
time  the  other  boats  had  given  up  the  chase, 


10  ON  BOARD    THE   SHIP   PLANTER. 

and  they  were  soon  alongside  again.  After 
hoisting  the  boats,  we  commenced  getting  up 
our  cutting  falls  and  making  ready  to  cut 
him  in.  When  this  was  done,  all  hands  were 
ordered  to  dinner.  One  can  imagine  what  an 
excited  set  of  men  we  were,  all  talking  at 
once.  Each  had  his  own  story  to  tell.  We 
all  killed  the  whale.  At  one  p.  m.  we  sluno- 
our  stages  over  the  side  for  the  mates  to  stand 
on,  and  the  blocks  were  overhauled  to  the 
water's  edge. 

When  everything  is  ready  for  the  process 
of  cutting-in,  a  small  hole  is  cut  in  the  side 
of  the  whale  and  the  boatsteerer  jumps  over- 
board and  hooks  on  ;  the  fall  is  then  taken 
to  the  windlass,  and  the  crew  heave  away, 
rolling  in  the  huge  blanket  pieces,  which 
are  cut  about  four  feet  wide  and  ten  feet 
long,  and  stowing  them  between  decks  for 
future  use.  Then  the  head  is  hoisted  in,  and 
the  case  put  into  try-pots  and  boiled  out. 
Afterwards  the  blubber  is  cut  into  small  pieces 
called  by  whalemen  horse-pieces ;  these  are 
again  cut  into  slices  about  the  size  of  one's 
hand  and  put  into  the  try-pots  and  tryed  out. 
When  this  process  is  finished,  the  oil  is  bailed 
off  into  a  copper  cooler,  thence  into  a  try-pot, 
to  cool ;  it  is  then  put  into  casks.     After  re- 


Q 


FATAL.  17 

maining  on  deck  for  a  few  clays,  it  is  coopered 
and  stowed  down  in  the  ship's  lower  hold.  I 
would  say  that  we  have  constantly  three  or 
four  men  aloft  on  the  lookout  for  whales,  — 
one  officer  and  one  boatsteerer  at  the  main 
masthead,  and  one  forward. 

To-day  we  finished  trying'  out  our  whale, 
which  made  40  barrels  of  oil. 

July  29.  The  day  commenced  with  fine, 
pleasant  weather.  Crew  employed  in  washing 
ship.  At  eight  o'clock  last  evening  the  cap- 
tain shaped  the  ship's  course  for  Fayal,  for  the 
purpose  of  landing  our  oil.  Saw  a  large  ship 
bound  to  the  southward.  At  eight  o'clock 
this  morning  saw  the  islands  of  Fayal  and 
Pico,  bearing  E.  S.  E.,  distance  thirty  miles. 
Cooper  employed  in  coopering  oil. 

July  30.  This  day  began  with  a  fine 
breeze  from  the  southwest.  At  three  p.  m. 
we  made  the  harbor  of  Fayal.  Captain  Hus- 
sey  had  his  boat  lowered  and  went  on  shore 
to  make  arrangements  for  landing  our  oil,  to 
be  shipped  home.  The  ship  stood  off  shore. 
At  six  o'clock  the  captain  came  on  board 
with  only  four  men,  two  of  the  crew  having 
run  away.  Stood  off  and  on  through  the 
night.  At  eight  a.  m.  stood  well  into  the 
harbor,  when  a  large  lighter  came  off  to  us 


18  ON  BOARD   THE  SHIP  PLANTER. 

and  took  our  oil  on  shore.  At  ten  o'clock 
the  captain  went  on  shore  and  shipped  four 
men,  all  Portuguese,  as  we  could  not  find  the 
men  who  had  deserted. 

Fayal  is  in  lat.  38°  31'  N.,  long.  28°  42'  W. 
It  has  an  area  of  27,520  acres,  of  which  it  is 
estimated  that  10,020  acres  are  under  culti- 
vation, the  soil  being  remarkably  fertile.  In 
its  centre  is  a  mountain  about  3,000  feet  high. 
Its  principal  exports  are  oranges  and  wine. 
Its  chief  town  is  Horta,  situated  on  the  south- 
east side  of  the  island,  on  a  bay  bearing  the 
same  name.  It  has  a  fine  breakwater,  which 
can  accommodate  a  number  of  vessels.  In 
former  years  a  large  number  of  whalers 
touched  at  this  island  every  year,  to  land 
such  oil  as  they  had  obtained  on  their  outward 
voyage.  This  oil  was  afterwards  shipped  to 
American  ports.  There  are  now  good  facili- 
ties for  repairing  vessels,  and  I  would  recom- 
mend any  vessel  calling  there  in  distress  to 
the  care  of  Mr.  Samuel  Dabney,  who  repre- 
sents the  most  responsible  firm  on  the  island. 

July  31.  Pleasant  weather ;  ship  stand 
ing  off  and  on  between  Fayal  and  Pico.  At 
five  p.  m.  the  captain  came  on  board,  bringing 
with  him  the  four  Portuguese  whom  he  had 
shipped.     We    hoisted    our    boat,  made  sail, 


BOUND   FOR    THE  PACIFIC.  19 

and  went  to  supper.  Middle  parts  moderate  ; 
latter  parts ;  strong  winds  from  the  south- 
ward. Our  new  men  all  seasick  ;  crew  worked 
at  putting  mats  on  rigging,  etc. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Rounding  the  Cape:  Sunday  at  Sea — Catamarans  — 
Off  the  Coast  of  Brazil  —  The  Pampero,—  Falkland 
Islands  —  Staten  Island  —  Man  Overboard  —  Alba- 
trosses —  Cape  Horn  —  In  the  Pacific  Ocean  —  Tal- 
cahuana  —  Sailor's  "  Liberty." 

Sunday,  August  1.  The  clay  began  with 
fine  weather.  It  was  spent  like  all  pleasant 
Sundays  at  sea.  The  decks  are  washed  down, 
the  rigging  coiled  up,  and  everything  put  in 
good  order.  The  men  are  all  dressed  in  their 
best  white  trousers,  and  red  or  checked  shirts, 
and  have  nothing  to  do,  except  to  stand  their 
watches  at  the  masthead  and  wheel,  and  make 
and  take  in  sail,  unless  they  are  fortunate 
enough  to  raise  a  school  of  whales.  In  that 
case  they  would  naturally  lower  for  them, 
although  some  captains  are  so  conscientious 
that  they  will  not  lower  for  whales  on  Sunday. 
The  men  occupy  their  time  in  reading,  talk- 
ing, smoking,  and  mending  their  clothes.  If 
the  weather  is  pleasant,  they  bring  their  work 
and  their  books  on  deck,  and  sit  down  upon 


a 


SAILOR'S   FARE.  21 

the  forecastle  and  windlass.  This  is  the  only 
day  on  which  these  privileges  are  allowed 
them.  On  Sundays  and  Thursdays  the  crew 
are  given  a  pudding-,  or,  as  it  is  called,  a 
"  duff."  This  is  nothing  more  than  flour 
boiled  with  water,  and  eaten  with  molasses. 
It  is  generally  very  heavy  and  clammy,  yet  it 
is  looked  upon  as  quite  a  luxury,  and  really 
forms  an  agreeable  addition  to  the  usual  salt 
beef  and  pork,  which  are  served  out  five  times 
a  week.  Salt  fish  is  furnished  on  Fridays, 
bean  soup  twice  a  week,  and  potatoes  once  a 
day,  with  all  the  sea  biscuit  one  requires.  We 
also  have  some  rice  and  dried  apples,  tea, 
coffee,  and  molasses.  On  Monday  morning 
we  change  our  costume  again,  to  the  old  tarry 
trousers,  and  prepare  for  another  six  days  of 
labor. 

Monday,  August  2.  The  day  commenced 
with  moderate  winds  and  squally  ;  heavy  rains 
all  day.  Crew  employed  variously.  Saw  a 
bark  standing  to  the  northward  ;  spoke  the 
little  schooner  Two  Brothers  of  Nantucket, 
two  months  out,  clean.  Middle  and  latter 
parts  more  moderate.  At  seven  a.  m.  caught 
a  porpoise.  The  captain  shouted  to  the  men 
aloft  to  keep  a  good  lookout  for  whales.  After 
cruising  around  these  islands  for  three  week-, 


22  ROUNDING    THE   CAPE. 

we  shaped  our  course  south.  We  took  the 
northeast  trade  winds  in  lat.  27°  N.,  long. 
27°  40'  W.  ;  had  fine,  pleasant  weather  to  the 
line.  Crossed  the  line  on  the  fifth  day  of 
September  in  long.  28°  W. 

September  6.  The  day  began  with  squally 
weather.  Crew  employed  in  ship's  duties, 
such  as  making  and  taking  in  the  light  sails, 
as  may  be  required. 

September  7.  The  day  came  in  with  light 
winds  and  squalls.  Making  the  best  of  our 
way  south.     Crew  employed  in  ship's  duties. 

September  8.  Fine,  pleasant  weather.  All 
sail  set.  Crew  employed  in  greasing  down 
the  topmast,  and  doing  other  work  about  the 
decks.     Have  now  taken  the  southeast  trades. 

September  9.  The  day  commenced  with 
fine,  pleasant  weather,  wind  well  to  the  south- 
ward. Passed  one  ship  and  one  bark  bound 
north. 

Septer)iber  10.  The  day  began  with  fine 
southeast  trades.  Crew  employed  in  ship's 
duties.  Saw  several  schools  of  porpoises. 
Passed  a  large  ship  steering  to  the  northwest. 

Sep>temher  11.  In  the  forepart  of  the  day 
fine  southeast  trades  ;  middle  parts  moderate. 
At  eight  a.  m.  saw  several  catamarans.  They 
are  composed  of  two  logs  lashed  together,  the 


THE  PAMPERO.  23 

men  sitting  with  their  feet  in  the  water.  They 
have  one  large  sail,  and  are  very  fast.  They 
usually  carry  from  three  to  four  men  each. 
The  slaves  go  out  in  them  after  fish,  and  as 
the  trade  winds  blow  regularly  along  the 
coast,  they  have  no  fear  in  venturing  a  long 
way  at  sea.  It  was  near  noon  when  a  man  at 
the  masthead  called  out,  "  Land  ho  ! '  As 
we  ran  in  towards  the  coast,  we  found  that  we 
were  directly  off  the  port  of  Pernambuco,  and 
with  the  aid  of  the  glass  the  city,  and  the 
shipping  lying  in  the  outer  roads,  could  be 
plainly  seen.     Saw  several  vessels  bound  in. 

September  12.  This  day  commenced  with 
fine,  pleasant  weather.  We  ran  along  the 
coast,  leaving  the  land  on  our  starboard  quar- 
ter, and  at  dark  the  land  was  out  of  sight. 
We  now  take  our  departure  for  Cape  Horn, 
keeping  a  sharp  lookout  for  whales. 

We  had  fine,  pleasant  weather  until  we  were 
in  the  latitude  of  the  river  La  Plata.  Here 
we  had  very  heavy  gales  from  the  southwest, 
—  what  the  natives  call  Pamperos,  which  are 
very  destructive  on  the  river,  and  are  felt  for 
many  miles  at  sea.  They  are  usually  pre- 
ceded by  lightning. 

September  28.  The  day  came  in  with 
strong  winds  and  squalls  from  the  southeast. 


24  ROUNDING  THE   CAPE. 

At  eight  p.  m.  the  captain  and  first  mate  were 
walking-  the  quarter-deck  together,  when  it 
commenced  to  lighten  in  the  southwest.  The 
captain  ordered  the  mate  to  take  in  all  the 
royals  and  topgallant  sails,  flying-jib,  and  to 
haul  up  the  mainsail.  It  soon  came  upon  us 
with  a  blast,  and  a  shower  of  hail  and  rain. 
"  Stand  by  your  topsail  halyards  ! '  was  the 
next  order ;  "  Let  go  your  topsail  halyards, 
let  go  !  let  them  run  !  hard  up  your  wheel ! ' 
when  our  little  ship  paid  off  before  the  wind, 
with  everything  flying.  Furled  the  sails  and 
close-reefed  all  the  topsails,  and  hauled  our 
ship  on  her  course  again.  This  was  the 
heaviest  blow  that  we  had  had  since  leaving 
home.  We  had  only  reefed  our  topsails  two 
or  three  times,  and  were  not  very  expert  in 
that  part  of  our  duty.  On  board  a  merchant 
ship  the  second  mate  always  goes  aloft  to  reef 
topsails,  but  on  board  a  whaleship  the  second 
mate  never  goes  aloft,  except  to  look  after 
whales.  Reefing  is  the  most  exciting  part  of 
a  sailor's  duty,  when  taking  in  sail.  All  hands 
are  engaged  upon  it.  After  the  halyards  are 
let  go,  and  the  reef  tackles  are  hauled  out,  the 
crew  all  spring  aloft.  The  first  man  on  the 
yard  goes  to  the  weather  earing,  the  second  to 
the  lee,  and  the  next  two  to  the  "  dog's  ears ;  " 


FALKLAND  ISLANDS.  25 

while  the  others  lav  along  into  the  hunt.  In 
furling  a  sail  the  strongest  and  most  experi- 
enced men  are  required  in  the  middle  of  the 
yard,  to  make  up  the  bunt.  Middle  and  latter 
parts  under  the  same  close  sail,  still  blowing 
heavy  from  the  southwest.  We  were  glad  to 
get  a  watch  below  and  put  on  dry  clothing. 
No  observations  taken  to-day. 

Seiitember  29.  The  day  commenced  with 
strong  southwest  gales.  Towards  sundown 
the  sale  moderated  a  little.  We  shook  out 
two  of  the  reefs.  At  eight  p.  m.  set  whole 
topsails ;  at  nine  set  all  three  topgallant  sails. 
Middle  and  latter  parts  more  moderate.  At 
nine  a.  m.  a  large  merchant  ship  passed  us, 
bound  around  Cape  Horn,  with  all  sail  set. 

October  15.  Since  September  29  we  have 
had  strong  gales  from  the  southwest  to  west. 
At  nine  a.  m.  we  raised  the  land  on  our  lar- 
board bow,  which  proved  to  be  the  Falkland 
Islands.  These  islands  were  discovered  by 
Davis  on  the  14th  of  August,  1592.  They 
were  afterwards  visited  (1690)  by  Strong, 
who  gave  them  the  name  which  they  now 
bear.  In  1710  a  French  vessel  from  St. 
Malo  touched  at  them,  which  caused  them  to 
be  named  Isles  Malouines.  Settlements  were 
afterwards  formed  on  them  by  the   French, 


26  ROUNDING   THE   CAPE. 

Spaniards,  and  English,  alternately,  but  the 
latter  have  retained  possession  of  them.  A 
British  settlement  has  been  recently  formed 
in  East  Falkland,  called  Port  Stanley,  situated 
at  the  head  of  Port  William,  an  inlet  on  the 
northeast  coast.  We  passed  along  about 
twenty  miles  to  the  westward  of  these  islands. 

October  16.  The  day  commenced  with 
strong  winds  from  the  westward.  Under 
single  -  reef  ed  topsails.  Middle  parts  more 
moderate.  At  six  p.  m.  we  shook  the  reefs 
out  of  the  topsails  and  set  topgallant  sail.  A 
good  lookout  kept  this  night.  Latter  parts 
more  moderate.  At  seven  a.  m.  made  Staten 
Island  on  our  starboard  bow  bearing  S.  W., 
distance  thirty  miles.  At  noon  the  wind  all 
died  out.  Staten  Island  is  at  the  southern 
extremity  of  South  America,  separated  by  Le 
Maire  Strait  from  King  Charles'  South  Land. 
It  is  45  miles  long ;  surface  steep,  and  shores 
very  much  indented.  At  its  eastern  extrem- 
ity is  Cape  St.  John,  in  lat.  54°  42'  8"  S.  and 
long.  63°  43'  5"  W. 

October  17.  The  day  began  with  a  light 
wind  from  the  westward,  and  a  very  heavy 
swell  from  the  same  quarter.  At  two  p.  m. 
the  wind  hauled  to  the  W.  S.  W.  and  com- 
menced blowing   on  ;  took  in  our  topgallant 


MAN  OVERBOARD.  27 

sails,  and  single-reefed  the  topsails.  At 
four,  when  the  watch  came  up,  we  clewed 
down  the  fore  and  mizzen  topsails  and  close- 
reefed  them,  also  furled  the  mainsail.  By 
this  time  the  rain,  hail,  and  snow  squalls  were 
beating  violently  upon  our  little  ship,  with  a 
high  sea  running.  At  eight  p.  m.,  wind  still 
increasing,  the  captain  ordered  the  main-top- 
sail close-reefed.  As  soon  as  the  watch  came 
on  deck  we  hauled  up  the  foresail,  and  clewed 
down,  and  hauled  out  the  reef-tackles  again, 
I  being  at  the  wheel  at  the  time.  The  men 
had  been  aloft  but  a  few  minutes,  when  I 
heard  the  cry,  "  A  man  overboard  !  '  He 
fell  from  the  starboard  topsail  yard-arm  and 
struck  on  the  bow  of  the  starboard  boat,  and 
went  overboard.  His  name  was  Benjamin 
Hays ;  he  was  from  Philadelphia.  We  could 
do  nothing  for  the  poor  fellow,  as  it  was  now 
blowing  a  heavy  gale  of  wind,  and  a  tremen- 
dous sea  was  running.  He  was  a  smart,  willing 
seaman,  and  a  good  shipmate.  Death  is  at  all 
times  solemn,  but  never  so  much  so  as  at  sea. 
If  a  man  dies  on  shore,  vou  can  follow  his 
body  to  the  grave ;  you  are  looking  for  the 
event ;  but  at  sea  the  man  is  near  you,  and 
in  a  moment's  time  he  is  o'one  forever.  You 
go  below  and  find  an  empty  berth.    You  are 


28  ROUNDING   THE   CAPE. 

one  man  short.  His  things  are  now  all  taken 
aft  and  sold  to  the  crew.  This  was  the  worst 
gale  that  we  had  had  since  leaving  home. 
After  reefing  the  main-topsail,  we  furled  the 
foresail,  fore  and  mizzen  topsails,  and  hove 
the  ship  to.  She  laid  very  well,  hardly  tak- 
ing any  water  upon  her  decks.  We  hoisted 
all  our  boats  up  on  the  cranes,  so  that  the  sea 
would  not  wash  them  oft'.  Middle  parts  still 
blowing  heavy.  At  eight  a.  m.  more  moder- 
ate ;  set  fore  and  mizzen  topsails  and  foresail. 
Staten  Island  in  sight,  bearing  W.  S.  W.,  dis- 
tance about  fifteen  miles.  Our  ship  had 
her  starboard  tacks  on  board,  heading  to  the 
southward,  we  got  the  sun,  and  found  we 
were  in  lat.  54°  45'  S.  We  sounded  our  pumps, 
but  found  no  water  in  them,  our  ship  being 
very  tight ;  she  had  not  leaked  a  bucket  of 
water  since  leaving  home.  Pumps  are  gener- 
ally sounded  every  four  hours. 

October  18.  The  day*  commenced  with 
strong  winds  from  the  W.  S.  W. ;  at  two  P.  M. 
more  moderate.  Shook  all  the  reefs  out  of 
the  topsails  and  set  them  ;  set  main-topgal- 
lant sail."  At  four  p.  m.  Staten  Island  bore 
W.  N.  W.,  distance  fifteen  miles  ;  in  company 
with  a  large  merchant  ship,  bound  round  the 
cape    to    the   westward.      Through    the   first 


ALBATROSSES.  29 

part  of  the  night  we  had  moderate  breezes, 
but  towards  morning  the  wind  increased.  At 
two  a.  m.  took  in  the  main-topgallant  sail ;  at 
four  a.  m.  called  the  morning  watch  and 
clewed  down  the  topsails  and  double-reefed 
them.  After  the  crew  came  from  aloft  we 
hoisted  the  topsails,  hauled  up  the  mainsail 
and  furled  it.  Saw  a  school  of  whales,  but 
did  not  lower  for  them.  During'  the  first 
part  of  the  night  we  had  strong  winds  with 
hail  and  snow-squalls.  It  was  all  that  we 
wanted  to  do  to  make  and  take  in  sail,  steer 
the  ship,  and  clear  the  snow  off  deck  ;  and 
when  we  had  any  leisure  time  we  amused 
ourselves  catching  albatrosses.  They  are 
very  easily  caught  with  a  hook  baited  with 
pork  and  floated  astern  upon  a  small  piece  of 
wood.  They  resemble  a  flock  of  geese  on  the 
water,  and  can  bite  equal  to  any  dog.  One 
caught  me  by  my  pantaloons  and  tore  out  a 
large  piece.  We  also  caught  a  great  many 
Cape  Horn  pigeons.  They  are  a  small  bird 
about  the  size  of  our  pigeons.  They  are  also 
caught  with  hook  and  line.  During  the  night 
it  was  more  moderate  ;  set  the  mainsail  at  two 
a.  M.,  shook  the  reefs  out  of  the  topsails  and 
set  them.  Towards  morning  the  wind  went 
down,  and  we  lay  the  whole  forenoon  tossing 


30  ROUNDING   THE   CAPE. 

about  in  a  dead  calm.  There  is  always  a  very 
heavy  swell  off  the  cape  in  a  calm,  and  the 
vessel,  having  no  command  of  the  sails  or  rud- 
der, lies  like  a  log  upon  the  water.  This 
morning  we  saw  a  large  school  of  whales  and 
grampuses,  but  they  were  a  long  way  off,  so 
that  we  did  not  lower  for  them. 

October  19.  The  day  came  on  with  light 
winds  from  the  northwest.  We  made  all  sail, 
heading  our  course  nearly  for  Cape  Horn. 
All  hands  in  good  spirits,  and  hoping  that  we 
had  done  with  gales,  but  this  state  of  things 
was  too  good  to  last  long,  for  in  about  two 
hours  we  began  to  have  snow-squalls.  At 
four  p.  m.  we  took  in  all  the  light  sails ;  mid- 
dle parts  more  moderate.  At  five  we  set  top- 
gallant sails  and  flying-jib  ;  crew  employed  in 
clearing"  snow  off  the  decks.  At  eio-ht  a.  m. 
we  raised  land  on  our  starboard  bow,  which 
proved  to  be  Cape  Horn.  It  gave  us  new 
courage.  This  morning  the  sun  rose  clear ; 
at  noon  we  got  our  latitude  and  found  that 
we  were  only  two  miles  to  the  northward  of 
the  cape,  and  about  twenty-five  miles  to  the 
eastward.  Cape  Horn  is  the  southern  ex- 
tremity of  South  America.  It  is  a  lofty, 
steep,  bare,  black  rock,  with  pointed  summits. 
It  was  named  by  Schouten,  its  discoverer,  in 


OFF  CAPE  HORN.  31 

1616,  in  honor  of  his  birthplace.  The  pas- 
sage around  the  cape  was  formerly  considered 
very  dangerous. 

October  20.  The  day  opened  with  fine, 
pleasant  weather.  All  sail  set.  The  wind  is 
now  well  to  the  northward,  so  that  we  can  lay 
our  course  along  once  more.  Middle  parts 
moderate,  latter  parts  the  same.  We  have 
made  good  headway  during  the  past  twenty- 
four  hours,  our  ship  going  her  course  all  the 
time.  The  captain  says  that  we  are  a  long 
way  to  the  westward  of  the  Diego  Ramirez 
Islands.  This  is  a  small  island  group  in  the 
South  Pacific,  60  miles  southwest  of  Cape 
Horn,  in  lat.  56°  25'  S.,  long.  68°  44'  W. 

October  21.  The  day  commenced  with 
strong  winds  and  pleasant  weather.  All  sail 
set.  At  three  p.  m.  it  began  to  thicken  up 
again  in  the  southwest.  At  six  we  took  in 
all  light  sails,  for  it  looked  as  though  Cape 
Horn  was  really  coming  upon  us.  When  we 
had  got  the  light  sails  furled,  the  captain 
ordered  the  courses  hauled  up  and  all  three 
topsails  clewed  down  and  reef-tackles  hauled 
out.  Were  just  going  aloft  when  the  squall 
struck  us.  We  close-reefed  the  topsails  and 
set  them,  then  put  a  reef  in  the  foresail 
and  set  it,  and  furled  the  mainsail.     It  was 


32  ROUNDING    THE   CAPE. 

now  blowing  hard.  The  snow,  hail,  and  sleet 
came  down  harder  and  harder,  and  the  sea  by 
this  time  was  running  mountains  high  ;  but 
our  little  ship  behaved  well,  scarcely  taking 
any  water  upon  her  decks.  Through  the 
night  strong  winds  and  squally ;  latter  parts 
more  moderate.  At  six  a.  m.  set  the  main- 
sail and  foresail,  shook  the  reefs  out  of  the 
topsails  and  jib,  and  set  them.  At  eight  set 
the  topgallant  sails  and  flying-jib.  No  ob- 
servation taken  to-day. 

October  22.  The  day  commenced  with 
fine,  pleasant  weather.  All  sail  set.  Wind 
hauling  more  to  the  westward.  Middle  parts 
more  moderate.  At  eleven  a.  m.  wind  died 
out ;  at  noon  nearly  calm,  with  a  heavy  swell. 

October  23.  Fine,  pleasant  weather.  At 
one  P.  m.  the  wind  breezed  up  from  the  north- 
east. The  captain  says  now  we  will  make  all 
of  the  westing  that  we  can,  so  that  when  the 
wind  comes  from  the  west  we  can  eo  to  the 
northward.  At  two  o'clock  saw  a  large  ship 
bound  to  the  westward,  but  too  far  off  to  signal 
her.  Middle  and  latter  parts  strong  winds  and 
fine  weather.     Crew  are  all  happy  to-day. 

October  24.  Day  commenced  with  a  fine 
breeze  from  the  northeast.  All  sail  set.  Mid- 
dle parts  pleasant ;  latter  parts  the  same. 


ON  THE   COAST   OF  CHILL  33 

October'  25.  The  day  came  in  with  fine, 
pleasant  weather ;  wind  from  the  east.  We 
are  now  well  to  the  westward  of  Cape  Horn, 
and  have  changed  our  course  more  northerly. 
All  hands  are  now  in  good  spirits,  as  we  heard 
the  captain  say  that  we  were  going  into  Tal- 
cahuana  for  provisions,  and  to  have  liberty, 
which  will  be  a  great  treat  to  us,  having  now 
been  at  sea  about  four  months. 

Nothing  of  interest  occurred  from  this  time 
until  the  3d  of  November,  when  we  took  a 
gale  from  the  southwest,  but  it  lasted  only 
twenty-four  hours.  When  it  moderated  we 
found  our  ship  within  thirty  miles  of  Talca- 
huana.  Some  of  the  crew  were  now  employed 
in  getting  up  chains  and  bending  them,  while 
others  were  making  ready  to  go  into  port. 

November  4.  The  day  opened  with  a  fine 
breeze  from  the  southwest.  At  four  p.  m.  a 
pilot  came  on  board.  At  seven  p.  m.  came  to 
anchor,  furled  the  sails,  coiled  up  the  rig- 
ging, and  set  a  sea  watch  for  the  night.  Sev- 
eral boats  came  alongside,  but  the  captain  did 
not  go  on  shore.  We  are  just  four  months 
from  home. 

November  5.  The  day  commenced  with 
fine,  pleasant  weather.  At  six  a.  m.  several 
boats  came    off   with  fruit,   milk,  eggs,  and 


34  ROUNDING    THE   CAPE. 

wine.  After  breakfast  the  captain  said  the 
starboard  watch  could  go  on  shore  on  liberty. 
It  was  not  long  before  the  crew  came  aft,  all 
dressed  in  their  Sunday  clothes,  to  ask  the 
captain  for  some  money ;  for  it  is  useless  to 
go  on  shore  in  these  ports  without  a  pocket- 
ful of  money.  The  captain  generally  gives 
the  crew  about  two  dollars  each,  the  boat- 
steerers  five,  and  the  officers  as  much  as  they 
require.  The  larboard  watch  was  set  at  work 
getting  casks  ready  to  be  sent  on  shore  for 
water.  After  dinner  the  larboard  watch  went 
on  shore  to  fill  the  casks.  At  four  returned 
with  twelve  large  casks  filled.  Hoisted  them 
in  and  cleared  up  the  decks  for  the  night. 
At  eight  p.  m.  crew  came  on  board,  some  of 
them  feeling  very  happy. 

November  6.  This  day  fine,  pleasant 
weather.  Larboard  watch  on  liberty  ;  star- 
board watch  on  shore  after  water.  At  noon 
they  came  on  board  with  ten  casks  of  water 
and  hoisted  it  in  ;  in  the  afternoon  stowed  it 
away  between  decks ;  got  up  some  beef,  pork, 
and  flour  for  the  steward.  At  nine  p.  m. 
the  crew  came  on  board,  three  of  the  men 
missing. 

November  7.  The  day  commenced  with 
fine,  pleasant  weather.     Starboard  watch   on 


DESERTIOXS.  35 

liberty ;  larboard  watch  watering  ship.  At 
eight  p.  m.  watch  came  on  board ;  could  not 
find  our  three  men  who  had  deserted. 

November  8.  Fine,  pleasant  weather. 
Larboard  watch  on  liberty ;  starboard  watch 
watering  ship.  At  nine  p.  m.  watch  on  liberty 
came  on  board  ;  saw  nothing  of  our  men. 

November  9.  Fine,  pleasant  weather.  The 
larboard  watch  on  liberty ;  starboard  watch 
watering  ship.  This  afternoon,  as  our  cap- 
tain and  several  gentlemen  were  walking 
along  the  road  toward  Concepcion,  they  acci- 
dentally came  upon  our  three  men,  drinking 
water  out  of  a  brook.  They  did  not  see  the 
captain  until  he  was  beside  them.  He  asked 
them  why  they  did  not  go  on  board  the  ship, 
when  they  replied  that  they  did  not  want  to 
go  on  board  again.  The  captain,  however, 
ordered  them  to  start  for  the  ship  immedi- 
ately. Seeing  that  there  was  no  chance  for 
them  to  escape,  they  made  good  time  back  to 
the  harbor.  Here  they  were  put  into  a  boat 
and  sent  on  board.  This  finished  their  liberty 
on  shore.  One  of  these  men,  I  am  sorry  to 
say,  belonged  to  Nantucket. 

November  10.  Pleasant  weather.  Star- 
board watch  on  liberty ;  larboard  watch  wa- 
tering ship. 


36  ROUNDING   THE   CAPE. 

November  11.  This  day  fine,  pleasant 
weather.  Larboard  watch  on  shore ;  star- 
board watch  watering  ship,  and  attending  to 
other  duties  on  board. 

November  12.  Fine,  pleasant  weather. 
Starboard  watch  on  liberty;  larboard  watch 
watering  ship. 

November  13.  This  day  fine  weather  as 
usual.  Larboard  watch  on  liberty.  Starboard 
watch  watering  ship.  Our  watering  and 
liberty  ends  to-night. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

In  the  South  Pacific  :  Talcahuana  —  Making  Sail  — 
Once  more  at  Sea  —  Bound  for  Juan  Fernandez  — 
Goat  Island  —  Adventures  with  Sharks  —  Going 
Ashore  at  Goat  Island  —  Search  for  a  Lost  Dog  — 
Island  of  Mas-d-Fuera  —  A  Good  Catch  —  Juan  Fer- 
nandez —  Tonibez,  Peru  —  Abington  Island  —  Seal- 
hunting  —  Albemarle  Island  —  Galapagos  Islands  — 
Terrapin. 

November  14,  1847.  The  day  commenced 
with  fine,  pleasant  weather.  At  six  a.  m.  all 
hands  were  called  to  wash  off  decks.  After 
this  was  done  we  all  went  to  breakfast. 
While  in  port  we  have  had  fresh  meat  and 
vegetables  every  day.  At  eight  a.  m.  all 
hands  were  called  to  get  the  water  stowed 
away  below,  and  everything  secured  ready  for 
sea.     All  of  the  topmasts  were  greased. 

Talcahuana  is  a  small  seaport  of  Chili,  on 
the  peninsula  which  forms  the  southwest  side 
of  Concepcion  Bay.  The  anchorage  is  the 
best  on  the  coast.  It  was  a  great  resort  for 
our  whaleships  in  former  years.  The  exports 
are  flour,  beans,  etc. 


38  IN   THE  SOUTH  PACIFIC. 

November  15.  The  clay  commenced  with 
fine,  pleasant  weather.  At  daylight  all  hands 
were  called  to  get  under  weigh.  As  soon  as 
we  came  up  on  deck  we  were  ordered  to  man 
the  windlass  and  heave  short.  When  this  was 
done,  orders  were  given  to  lay  aloft  and  loose 
the  sails.  This  being  done,  one  man  was  left 
aloft  on  each  topsail  yard  to  overhaul  the  rig- 
ging. The  anchor  was  then  hove  up,  the 
topsails  came  to  the  mastheads  with  a  song 
from  the  men,  and  in  a  few  minutes  every 
sail  was  set,  and  we  were  once  more  heading 
for  the  South  Pacific.  The  wind  being  light, 
we  did  not  get  clear  of  the  land  before  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening-.  In  the  mean  time  we 
were  at  work  clearing  up  the  decks.  After 
dark  the  watch  went  to  supper.  At  eight 
p.  m.  the  watch  was  set  for  the  night,  and  the 
ship  headed  for  Juan  Fernandez.  Middle  and 
latter  parts  moderate  ;  saw  a  bark  bound  south. 

November  16.  The  clay  commenced  with 
fine,  pleasant  weather.  A  good  lookout  is 
kept  for  whales ;  crew  employed  variously. 

November  17.  Southwest  rain-squalls. 
Several  vessels  in  sight.  Captain  and  five  men 
are  aloft  looking  out  for  whales.  Middle  and 
latter  parts  fine  weather.  Saw  a  large  school 
of  blackfish  going  to  the  windward. 


GOAT  ISLAND.  39 

November  18.  The  day  came  in  with  fine, 
pleasant  weather.  All  sail  set.  At  four 
p.  m.  saw  the  island  of  Juan  Fernandez  bear- 
ing by  compass  N.  W.  and  distance  about  40 
miles.  We  shaped  our  course  for  the  island. 
At  eio'ht  p.  m.  we  took  in  all  our  lio-ht  sails 
and  courses,  and  ran  down  our  topsails.  Mid- 
dle parts  pleasant.  At  six  a.  m.  we  were 
close  in  to  the  land.  After  breakfast  the  cap- 
tain ordered  his  boat  to  be  lowered.  After 
putting  in  some  muskets,  fish  lines,  and  his 
dog  that  came  from  home  with  us,  we  started 
for  the  shore.  We  landed  upon  Goat  Island, 
a  small  island  about  five  miles  from  the  prin- 
cipal island.  Here  Ave  caught  some  fine  fish 
and  shot  several  goats,  the  ship  standing  off 
and  on.  Saw  large  schools  of  porpoises.  At 
eleven  a.  m.  the  boat  came  alongside,  hoisted 
her  up  and  stood  off  shore. 

November  19.  This  day  commenced  with 
fine,  pleasant  weather.  At  two  p.  m.  raised 
a  large  school  of  sperm  whales.  Called  all 
hands.  In  the  mean  time  the  ship  had  been 
kept  off  and  was  running  towards  the  whales. 
As  soon  as  we  were  near  enough  we  hauled 
aback  the  main  yard  and  lowered  three  boats. 
It  was  not  long  before  the  first  mate  got  fast 
to  a  good-sized  whale.  He  ran  a  short  distance 


40  IN   THE  SOUTH  PACIFIC. 

when  the  mate  hauled  up  and  put  a  lance  into 
him,  killing  him  almost  instantly.  The  ship 
ran  down  and  took  him  alongside.  In  the 
mean  time  the  other  two  boats  gave  chase  to 
the  whales,  who  had  now  started  to  go  to  the 
windward.  At  four  p.  M.  the  boats  had  given 
up  the  chase  and  came  on  board ;  hoisted 
them  up.  Rove  off  the  cutting  falls  and  got 
all  ready  to  cut  the  whale  in  early  the  next 
morning.  We  took  in  all  light  sails,  hauled 
the  courses  up  snug,  and  double-reefed  the 
topsails,  and  hauled  the  main  yard  aback  and 
let  her  lay  until  morning.  At  daylight  we 
called  all  hands  and  went  to  work  cutting1  in. 
At  half  past  seven  the  men  went  to  break- 
fast. At  eight  we  turned  to  and  finished 
heaving  in  the  whale ;  it  was  not  long  before 
we  had  the  head  cut  up  and  in  the  pot  boil- 
ing out. 

November  20.  Fine,  pleasant  weather. 
Employed  in  boiling  out  blubber.  Saw  large 
schools  of  blackfish,  but  did  not  lower  for 
them.  Middle  parts  fine  weather.  Finished 
boiling.  This  whale  made  60  barrels  of  oil. 
At  six  A.  M.  made  all  sail.  Employed  in  wash- 
ing the  ship.  The  island  of  Mas-a-Fuera  is 
now  in  sight,  bearing  W.,  distance  25  miles. 
Here  a  good  lookout  is  kept  for  whales. 


FISHING  AND   GUNNING.  41 

November  21.  This  day  commenced  with 
fine,  pleasant  weather.  Running  towards 
Mas-a-Fuera ;  nothing  but  the  two  islands  in 
sight.  At  four  p.  M.,  being  close  in  to  the 
land,  the  captain  took  his  boat  and  went  in- 
shore to  catch  some  fish.  At  six  returned, 
having  caught  fish  enough  for  the  ship's  com- 
pany. Hoisted  our  boat ;  took  in  all  light 
sails  and  hauled  the  courses  up,  hove  aback 
the  main  yard,  and  laid  by  until  morning.  At 
six  a.  m.  made  all  sail. 

November  22.  The  day  fine,  pleasant. 
All  sail  set.  Islands  in  sight.  Middle  and 
latter  parts  the  same.  At  eight  a.  m.  went  on 
shore  at  Goat  Island  with  two  boats. 

November  23.  Fine,  pleasant  weather.  The 
captain's  and  second  mate's  boats  on  shore,  — 
fishing"  and  gnuming;.  At  four  p.  M.  the  boats 
returned  with  eight  good-sized  goats  and  a 
large  quantity  of  very  fine  fish.  Hoisted  the 
boats  and  cleared  up  the  decks.  Middle  and 
latter  parts  pleasant. 

November  24.  This  day  commenced  with 
fine,  pleasant  weather.  At  one  p.  m.  raised  a 
school  of  sperm  whales,  about  two  miles  off. 
Called  all  hands  and  hauled  up  the  mainsail ; 
hove  aback  the  main  yard  and  lowered  away 
three  boats.     The  captain  and  first  mate  got 


42  IN   THE  SOUTH  PACIFIC. 

fast,  and  soon  had  their  whales  killed,  or,  as 
whalemen  say,  turned  up.  The  ship  ran 
down  and  took  them  alongside.  The  second 
mate  chased  the  school  for  some  time ;  but 
the  whales  were  shy,  and  at  six  p.  m.  he  came 
on  board.  In  the  mean  time  we  had  been  at 
work  getting  ready  to  heave  in  the  whales. 
Took  in  all  light  sails  and  laid  by  until  morn- 
ing. During  the  night  we  had  a  man  stationed 
in  the  ship's  gangway  with  a  spade  to  keep 
the  sharks  from  eating  the  whales.  It  was 
rather  amusing:  to  us  to  see  the  sharks  swim 
away  after  having  their  heads  cut  off.  At 
daylight  we  called  all  hands,  and  commenced 
cutting  in  the  whales.  At  half  past  seven  all 
hands  went  to  breakfast.  After  breakfast  we 
went  to  work  cutting  in  again.  At  twelve  all 
hands  went  to  dinner. 

November  25.  Fine,  pleasant  weather. 
Crew  employed  in  cutting  in  whale. 

November  26.  This  day  fine,  pleasant 
weather.  Crew  employed  in  cutting  in  whale. 
Juan  Fernandez  and  Mas-a-Fuera  both  in 
sight.     Saw  several  schools  of  porpoises. 

November  28.  The  day  opened  with 
strong  winds.  Crew  employed  in  boiling.  At 
ten  p.  m.  finished.  These  two  whales  made 
120  barrels  of  oil.     Washed  off  the  decks. 


A  LOST  DOG.  43 

November  29.  The  day  commenced  with 
fine,  pleasant  weather.  Crew  employed  in 
ship's  duties.  Juan  Fernandez  in  sight.  At 
eio-lit  a.  m.  captain  and  second  mate  took  their 
boats  and  went  on  shore,  —  gunning  and  fish- 
insr.  At  six  p.  m.  the  boats  returned  with 
several  goats  and  some  fine  fish.  Our  beauti- 
ful doo-  missino-.  The  crew  were  set  at  work 
cleaning*  the  o'oats. 

November  30.  At  daylight  the  captain 
and  second  mate  went  on  shore  to  look  for 
the  dog.  We  lay  off  and  on  all  day.  At  six 
p.  M.  the  boats  returned,  having  on  board  a  fine 
kid  and  some  fish  ;  but  the  dog  could  not  be 
found. 

December  1.  This  day  fine,  pleasant 
weather  as  usual.  At  seven  a.  m.  the  captain 
and  second  mate  took  their  boats  and  went  on 
shore  to  look  for  the  dog-  and  to  shoot  some 
more  goats.  At  five  p.  m.  they  returned, 
bringing  three  large  goats  and  some  nice  fish, 
but  could  not  find  the  dog.  The  captain 
thinks  that  he  must  have  fallen  over  some  of 
the  rocks.  We  lay  off  and  on  until  daylight, 
when  we  set  our  light  sails  and  shaped  our 
course  for  Mas-a-Fuera.  Middle  and  latter 
parts  pleasant. 

December  2.     At  daylight  the  island  was 


44  IN   THE  SOUTH  PACIFIC. 

about  five  miles  distant.  At  seven  a.  m.  we 
rounded  the  west  point,  when  Captain  Hussey 
and  the  second  mate  took  their  boats  and  went 
on  shore.  The  island  of  Mas-a-Fuera  is  small, 
being  about  six  miles  in  length  and  five  miles 
in  breadth.  On  approaching  this  island,  it 
everywhere  appears  to  the  eye  a  mass  of  high, 
shelving  rocks,  without  verdure  or  shrubs, 
which  we  in  truth  found  to  be  the  case  after 
landing.  It  was  with  great  difficulty,  and  at 
the  hazard  of  our  lives,  that  we  succeeded  in 
landing.  We  shot  five  large  goats  and  caught 
some  fine  fish.  At  five  o'clock  we  went  on 
board  and  hoisted  the  boats  and  cleared  up 
the  decks  for  the  night. 

December  3.  This  day  fine,  pleasant 
weather.  At  eight  a.  m.  we  raised  a  school 
of  sperm  whales  on  our  lee  beam,  about  four 
miles  distant.  We  soon  came  up  with  them, 
hauled  up  the  mainsail,  and  backed  the  main 
yard.  The  captain  ordered  three  boats  to  be 
lowered  without  making  any  noise,  as  the  sea 
was  very  smooth  at  the  time.  We  took  our 
sails  and  paddles,  and  were  soon  amongst 
them.  The  captain  struck  the  first  whale, 
Mr.  Fisher  the  second,  and  Mr.  Chase  the 
third  one.  They  were  all  small  whales.  In 
about  two  hours'  time  we  had  them  alongside 


JUAN  FERNANDEZ.  45 

and  made  fast  to  the  ship.  We  then  hoisted 
the  boats  and  went  to  dinner. 

December  4  and  5.  Employed  in  boiling. 
These  three  whales  made  60  barrels  of  oil. 

But  to  return  to  Juan  Fernandez.  This 
island  is  situated  in  the  South  Pacific  Ocean, 
about  90  miles  to  the  eastward  of  Mas-a- 
Fuera  and  400  miles  off  Valparaiso.  It  be- 
longs to  Chili.  It  is  about  40  miles  in  cir- 
cumference,  and  at  a  distance  appears  like  a 
naked  rock,  the  highest  point  of  which,  Yunga, 
is  about  4,000  feet  above  the  sea-level.  Here 
Alexander  Selkirk,  a  buccaneer,  whose  native 
place  was  the  Scotch  fishing  village  of  Largo, 
lived  in  solitude  for  four  years  (1704-8). 
His  story  is  supposed  to  have  suggested  the 
Robinson  Crusoe  of  Defoe.  The  valleys  are 
covered  with  wood,  and  a  great  number  of 
goats  are  seen  on  the  sides  of  every  hill.  We 
also  saw  a  few  bullocks  upon  the  sides  of  the 
mountain. 

December  12.  This  day  commenced  with 
fine,  pleasant  weather.  All  hands  employed 
in  washing  ship.  Saw  a  large  school  of  por- 
poises. Middle  parts  squally.  We  kept  the 
ship  off  to  the  northward.  Latter  parts  pleas- 
ant ;  set  all  light  sails.  At  eight  a.  m.  saw  a 
ship  standing  to  the  southward. 


46  IN   THE  SOUTH  PACIFIC. 

From  this  date  we  continued  sailing  along 
towards  Payta,  a  small  Peruvian  town  with  a 
population  of  about  9,000.  Here  Ave  arrived 
on  the  13th  of  December.  We  did  not 
anchor,  but  lay  off  and  on  for  twenty-four 
hours.  Captain  Hussey  went  on  shore  and 
returned  with  one  barrel  of  sweet  potatoes 
and  some  vegetables.  Took  them  on  board 
and  hoisted  our  boat  and  shaped  our  course 
for  Tombez,  a  small  seaport  on  the  coast  of 
Peru,  where  we  arrived  on  the  8th  of  Decem- 
ber. On  the  9th  commenced  taking  sweet 
potatoes  on  board,  and  got  about  100  barrels 
of  water. 

December  10  we  were  employed  in  taking 
on  board  sweet  potatoes.  At  six  p.  m.  we 
finished,  having  taken  on  board  133  barrels, 
and  several  boat-loads  of  oranges  and  ban  a- 
nas.  Tombez  is  not  laid  down  on  the  chart. 
The  river  abounds  with  alligators,  and  the 
neighboring  country  swarms  almost  as  much 
with  snakes  and  vipers  as  that  around  Porto 
Bello  does  with  toads.  Rain  is  unknown  in 
the  southern  parts  of  Peru  ;  but  in  the  north, 
where  the  mountains  are  not  so  high,  it  often 
rains  excessively.  Peru  has  been  long  cele- 
brated for  its  mines  of  gold  and  silver,  which 
are   the   chief  or   only   source   of    its   riches. 


ABINGTON  ISLAND.  47 

Besides  the  products  of  the  mines,  the  com- 
modities exported  are  sugar,  vicuna  wool,  cot- 
ton, Peruvian  bark,  copper,  and  cocoa. 

December  14.  The  day  commenced  with 
fine,  pleasant  weather.  At  daylight  all  hands 
were  called  to  get  under  weigh.  After  heav- 
ing  short,  we  loosed  all  our  sails,  set  the  top- 
sails, manned  the  windlass  and  hove  up  the 
anchor,  and  shaped  our  course  for  the  Gala- 
pagos Islands.  This  day  was  spent  like  all 
pleasant  Sundays  at  sea.  The  decks  were 
washed  down,  the  rigging  all  coiled  up,  and 
everything  put  in  order.  The  men  were  all 
dressed  up  in  their  clean  clothes,  and  occu- 
pied themselves  in  reading,  mending  their 
clothes,  smoking,  etc. 

December  15.  This  day  fine,  pleasant 
weather.  At  two  p.  m.  the  welcome  sound  of 
"  Land  ho  !  "  was  again  heard  from  the  mast- 
head.  The  land  proved  to  be  the  island  of 
Abington,  bearing  \V.  S.  W.,  distance  twenty 
miles ;  at  five  o'clock  came  to  anchor ;  furled 
all  sails.  The  captain  and  second  mate  took 
their  boats  and  went  on  shore  after  terrapin. 
We  succeeded  beyond  our  most  sanguine  ex- 
pectations, having  captured  ten  large  ones  in 
the  space  of  two  hours.  Some  of  them  were 
of  immense  size,  weighing  from  one  to  three 


48  IN   THE  SOUTH  PACIFIC. 

hundred  pounds.  The  boats  came  on  board 
about  seven  o'clock,  when  we  had  one  of  the 
terrapin  killed  and  cooked  for  supper,  the 
crew  telling  their  experience  on  shore,  which 
was  very  interesting  to  those  who  remained  on 
board. 

December  16.  At  davlight  called  all  hands. 
Washed  off  the  decks  and  went  to  breakfast. 
After  breakfast  our  three  boats  went  on  shore 
with  the  intention  of  making  two  parties,  — 
one  to  go  up  after  terrapin  and  one  after  seals. 
We  found  considerable  difficulty  in  capturing 
the  terrapin,  not  only  on  account  of  their  size, 
but  from  their  color,  which  bore  exactly  the 
same  appearance  as  the  ground,  —  a  dark 
brown.  At  four  p.  m.  the  boats  returned, 
bringing  on  board  fifteen  large  terrapin,  and 
the  quarters  of  two  others  that  they  had 
killed  on  shore,  as  well  as  several  sealskins. 

December  17.  At  daylight  called  all  hands 
and  went  to  breakfast.  We  then  took  our 
three  boats'  crews  and  started  for  the  shore, 
each  man  taking  a  bottle  of  water  with  him, 
as  there  was  none  to  be  found  on  the  island. 
At  four  p.  m.  the  boats  returned  with  ei«ht 
very  large  terrapin.  We  came  across  one  im- 
mense terrapin.  The  captain  thought  that 
he  would  weigh  some  600  pounds.     He  had 


SEAL-HUNTING.  49 

more  than  fifty  ships'  names  and  dates  marked 
all  over  his  back.  We  found  these  terrapin 
on  the  top  of  the  mountain.  It  would  take  a 
man  all  day  to  drive  one  of  them  down  to  the 
beach.  We  also  killed  a  number  of  hair  seals. 
Seal-hunters  land  on  the  beach  early  and  hide 
behind  the  rocks  and  bushes  until  about  ten 
o'clock,  when  the  old  seals  and  some  of  the 
young  come  on  shore.  The  sun  is  very  warm 
and  the  seals  soon  fall  asleep.  "  Rookery  "  is 
the  name  given  by  old  sealers  to  a  number  col- 
lected together.  Our  second  mate,  Mr.  Chase, 
said  that  this  was  the  time  for  us  to  make  the 
attack,  when  we  rushed  between  the  seals 
and  the  water,  and  the  work  of  death  com- 
menced. A  slight  blow  on  the  head  was 
sufficient  for  the  young  "  pups,"  but  one  had 
to  work  quick  with  the  old  ones.  For  if  the 
hunter  should  happen  to  fall  on  the  ground 
he  would  be  torn  to  pieces  by  these  huge  ani- 
mals. At  six  p.  m.  we  manned  the  windlass, 
hove  short,  set  our  topsails,  hove  up  the  an- 
chor, and  shaped  our  course  for  the  south 
head  of  Albemarle  Island. 

At  six  o'clock  on  the  morning"  of  December 
18  we  were  close  in  with  Albemarle  Island. 
At  seven  bells  all  hands  got  breakfast.  At 
eight  a.  m.  the  captain  and  second  mate  took 


50  IN  THE  SOUTH  PACIFIC. 

their  boats  and  went  on  shore.  At  six  p.  m. 
the  boats  returned  with  ten  small  terrapin. 
Hoisted  our  boats  and  shaped  our  course  for 
Chatham  Island,  where  we  arrived  on  the  fol- 
lowing morning.  At  eight  o'clock  the  captain 
and  second  mate  took  their  boats  and  went 
on  shore.  At  noon  they  came  on  board  with 
twelve  small  terrapin.  These  were  bought 
of  some  men  who  were  living  on  the  island 
and  killing  the  terrapin  for  their  oil,  which 
they  sold  on  the  coast  of  Peru  for  cooking 
purposes.  We  took  them  on  board,  hoisted 
our  boats,  and  made  all  sail  and  shaped  our 
course  for  the  Kingsmill  Group.  The  Gala- 
pagos Islands  are  situated  near  the  coast  of 
Colombia.  They  lie  under  the  equator,  the 
centre  island  being  in  long.  85°  30'  W.  They 
are  uninhabited,  but  are  frequently  visited  by 
the  South  Sea  whaleships  for  fresh  water 
and  provisions.  The  largest  is  60  or  70 
miles  long  and  50  miles  broad.  They  are 
generally  barren,  but  some  of  the  highest 
have  a  growth  of  stunted  brushwood,  and  all 
of  them  are  covered  with  prickly  pear,  upon 
which  a  large  species  of  land  tortoise  lives  and 
thrives  in  a  wonderful  manner. 

The  terrapin  or  land  tortoise  that  is  found 
at  the  Galapagos  Islands  is  by  far  the  largest, 


TERRA  PI X.  51 

best,  and  most  numerous  that  I  have  seen  in 
any  place  that  I  ever  visited.     Some  of  the 
largest  weigh  three  or  four  hundred  pounds ; 
but   their  common  size  is  between  fifty  and 
one  hundred  pounds.     Their  shape  is  some- 
what  similar  to  that  of  our  own  small  land 
tortoise  which  is  found  upon  the  upland,  and 
is,  like  it,  high  and  round  on  the  back.    They 
have  a  very  long  neck,  which,  together  with 
their  head,  has    a  very  disagreeable    appear- 
ance, greatly  resembling  a  large  serpent.     I 
have  seen  them  with  necks  between  two  and 
three  feet  long.     They  are  perfectly   harm- 
less, notwithstanding  their  threatening  appear- 
ance.     They   have   no   teeth,  and   of   course 
they    cannot    bite    very    hard.       They    take 
their  food  into  their  mouths  by  the  assistance 
of  the  sharp   edges   of  the  upper  and  under 
jaws,  which  shut  together,  one  a  little  within 
the  other,  so  as  to  nip  grass,  or  flowers,  ber- 
ries, and  shrubbery,  the  only  food  they  eat. 
Those  who  have  seen  the  leg  and  foot  of  an 
elephant  have  seen  the  exact  resemblance  of 
a  terrapin's.     They  can  be  taught   to  eat  on 
board   a   ship  as  well  as   a   sheep  or  a  goat, 
and  will  live  for  a  long  time  if  there  is  proper 
food  provided  for  them.     They  are  the  slow- 
est in  their  motion  of  any  animal  I  ever  saw, 


52  IN   THE  SOUTH  PACIFIC. 

except  the  sloth.  They  are  remarkable  for 
their  strength.  One  of  the  largest  we  had  on 
deck  would  take  two  men  upon  his  back  and 
walk  around  the  deck  with  ease. 

We  are  now  running:  to  the  westward  with 
all  sail  set.  We  sent  up  the  studding-sail 
booms  and  set  the  sails. 

January  20,  1848.  Nothing  worthy  of  re- 
mark has  happened  since  leaving  the  Galapa- 
gos Islands.  We  have  kept  a  good  lookout 
for  sperm  whales.  Have  seen  several  schools 
of  porpoises,  and  caught  some.  We  are  now 
getting  well  to  the  westward.  The  weather 
continues  good,  and  the  wind  fair,  with  strong 
breezes. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Cruising  among  the  Kingsmill  Group  :  Sydenham  Island 

—  A  Big  Whale  —  Pitt's  Island  —  Back  to  Syden- 
ham —  Village  on  Woodle's  Island  —  Kingsmill  or 
Gilbert  Islands  —  Ocean  Island  —  Two  Whales  — 
At  Pleasant  Island  —  Trading  with  a  Colored  Man 
from  New  Bedford  —  The  Bark  Belle  —  With  Cap- 
tain Hussey  on  Morgan  Island  —  Our  House  —  Cli- 
mate and  People  —  Canoe  Building  —  Marriage 
Customs  —  Native  Dentistry  —  Visit  from  the  Planter 

—  A  Strange  Ship  —  Leave  the  Island  —  Native 
Smoking  Habits  —  Sydney. 

January  22,  1848.  This  day  fine,  pleasant 
weather.  At  daylight  made  Drummond 
Island,  one  of  the  Kingsmill  Group.  Several 
canoes  came  off,  bringing  cocoanuts,  mats, 
chickens,  and  molasses.  At  ten  a.  m.  we  left 
for  Sydenham  Island,  where  we  arrived  at  six 
p.  m.  The  natives  came  off,  bringing  with 
them  mats,  cocoanut  oil,  and  chickens.  They 
were  very  anxious  for  Captain  Hussey  to  go 
on  shore  with  them  ;  but  he  declined  to  do 
so,  as  the  natives  at  this  island  are  very  treach- 
erous. We  shaped  our  course  for  Hall's 
Island. 


54      KINGSMILL   GROUP:   FIRST   CRUISE. 

January  23.  We  arrived  at  Hall's  Island 
at  four  p.  m.,  when  a  number  of  canoes  came 
off,  bringing  cocoanuts,  oil,  and  mats.  At 
five  p.  m.,  when  we  were  close  in  to  the  reef, 
the  boatsteerer  at  the  main  shouted,  "  There 
she  blows  !  "  "  What  does  it  look  like  ?  " 
yelled  the  captain.  "  A  sperm  whale,  I  think, 
sir,"  was  the  answer.  "  I  think  it  is  a  very 
large  sperm  whale.  There  she  blows ;  there 
she  breaches  ;  close  into  the  breakers  ! '  Cap- 
tain Hussey  immediately  went  aloft  at  the 
main  and  pronounced  it  a  large  sperm  whale. 
We  hauled  the  ship  by  the  wind  and  headed 
to  the  southward.  The  mainsail  was  then 
hauled  up,  and  the  main-topsail  thrown  to  the 
mast.  The  captain  ordered  three  boats  cleared 
away.  As  there  were  a  great  many  canoes 
around  the  ship,  it  required  a  large  crew  to 
look  out  for  them,  and  as  I  was  one  of  the 
boat's  crew  left  on  board,  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  having  an  introduction  to  an  old  musket, 
to  use  in  case  of  an  emergency.  The  boats 
moved  quickly  over  the  water,  all  of  course 
going  in  one  direction,  for  the  whale  remained 
motionless  upon  the  water.  In  a  few  minutes 
the  boatsteerer  in  the  first  mate's  boat  stood 
up  all  ready  to  throw  the  iron.  When  the 
whale  raised  his  huge,  square  head  high  out 


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A   BIG  WHALE.  55 

of  water,  he  let  him  have  the  iron.  The  cap- 
tain by  this  time  had  come  up  and  put  a  lance 
into  him  ;  the  mate  also  got  a  fine  chance  at 
him  with  his  lance,  doing  good  execution. 
They  soon  had  him  turned  up,  dead,  and 
started  with  him  in  tow  of  all  three  boats  for 
the  ship.  We  kept  off  and  ran  down  as  near 
as  possible.  It  was  about  dark  when  we  got 
him  alongside.  We  hoisted  up  the  boats  and 
got  supper,  ship  heading  off  shore  for  the 
night.  We  kept  two  men  in  the  starboard 
gangway  with  spades  to  keep  the  sharks  from 
eating  the  whale.  At  daylight  we  called  all 
hands,  got  our  stages  over  the  side  for  the  offi- 
cers to  stand  on,  and  went  to  work  cutting 
in.  The  captain  thinks  that  he  will  make  120 
barrels  of  oil.  At  seven  bells  we  all  went  to 
breakfast.  At  eisdit  o'clock  all  hands  went  to 
work  heaving  in  ;  we  filled  the  between  decks 
with  blanket  pieces  and  the  deck  full  of 
blubber. 

January  24.  This  day  fine,  pleasant 
weather.  All  hands  employed  in  cutting  in 
whale.  At  dark  the  head  came  on  deck  and 
the  carcass  was  cut  adrift,  when  all  hands 
went  to  supper.  After  supper  the  watch  on 
deck  went  to  work  cutting  the  blubber  into 
horse-pieces.     The    mincer    was    set   at  work 


56      KIN  GSM  ILL    GROUP:   FIRST   CRUISE. 

slicing  the  horse-pieces,  while  the  boatsteerers 
pitched  it  into  the  try-pots.  We  soon  had 
our  fires  started,  and  everything  going  well 
for  the  night.  The  watches  were  set  as  usual. 
Latter  parts  fine  ;  still  boiling. 

January  25.  Crew  employed  in  boiling 
blubber.  At  eisdit  a.  m.  finished  boilino-. 
This  whale  yielded  110  barrels  of  oil.  We 
then  went  to  work  washing  off  the  decks.  Saw 
Charlotte  Island. 

January  26.  Fine,  pleasant  weather.  At 
two  p.  m.  stood  in  to  Charlotte  Island.  Some 
canoes  came  off  with  cocoanuts,  mats,  and 
cocoanut  oil.  We  gave  in  exchange  tobacco 
and  pipes.  At  six  p.  m.  we  left  the  island  and 
stood  to  the  northward.  Middle  and  latter 
parts  pleasant ;  all  sail  set. 

January  27.  The  day  pleasant.  At  nine 
a.  M.  saw  Pitt's  Island,  bearing  N.  by  W., 
distance  ten  miles.  At  eleven  o'clock,  when 
well  in  to  the  land,  several  canoes  came  off. 
One  of  the  canoes  had  two  white  men  in  it. 
Captain  Hussey  asked  them  on  board.  We 
bought  all  the  goods  of  the  natives.  Cap- 
tain sold  these  men  some  clothing-  and  tobacco. 
They  stayed  on  board  to  dinner. 

January  28.  The  day  fine,  pleasant 
weather.     After   dinner   the  white   men  went 


WOODLE'S  ISLAND.  57 

on  shore.  We  made  all  sail  and  stood  to  the 
northward.  At  eleven  p.  m.  we  tacked  ship 
to  the  southward,  looking  for  sperm  whales. 
After  cruising:  here  a  short  time  we  tacked 
ship  and  stood  out  in  the  latitude  of  5°  N., 
and  worked  up  to  the  eastward  again.  We 
then  shaped  our  course  again  for  the  Kings- 
mill  Group.  We  arrived  at  Sydenham  Island 
on  the  25th  of  February,  not  having  seen  the 
spout  of  a  whale  since  leaving  the  islands. 
The  canoes  came  off  with  chickens,  eggs,  cats, 
cocoanuts,  mats,  and  molasses.  We  sailed 
through  the  group,  touching  at  nearly  all  the 
islands.  At  Woodle's  Island,  which  is  in 
lat.  0°  17'  N.,  long.  173°  26'  E.,  a  white  man 
by  the  name  of  Walker  came  off  in  a  canoe. 
He  told  the  captain  that  it  was  perfectly  safe 
for  him  to  go  on  shore  ;  so  after  breakfast 
the  captain  had  his  boat  lowered,  and  went  on 
shore.  I,  being  one  of  the  boat's  crew,  had 
an  opportunity  to  land  amongst  a  lot  of  can- 
nibals. After  landing;  we  went  a  short  dis- 
tance  to  a  small  village,  when  the  men  and 
women  clustered  around  us  and  manifested 
much  friendliness.  The  village  contained 
about  fifty  huts,  and  was  surrounded  by 
cocoanut-trees,  and  before  each  door  was  a 
brood  of  chickens  and  cats.     The  houses  were 


58      KINGSMILL   GROUP:   FIRST  CRUISE. 

thatched  to  keep  out  the  wet,  and  looked  neat 
and  comfortable.  They  have  no  floors  to  their 
houses,  but  the  earth  is  beaten  smooth  with 
constant  use.  They  have  no  furniture,  but, 
as  a  substitute,  grass  mats  are  spread  in  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  room.  We  purchased  of 
the  natives  some  chicks,  mats,  and  breadfruit. 
There  was  no  need  of  wealth  to  give  happi- 
ness here.  The  sea  yields  up  its  treasures  to 
supply  the  natives  with  food  ;  on  the  land, 
fruit  is  in  season  through  the  year  without 
cost  or  price.  We  gave  the  chiefs  some  to- 
bacco and  pipes,  and,  bidding  them  good-day, 
went  on  board  our  ship.  The  white  man 
(Walker)  came  on  board  with  us,  and  Captain 
Hussey  made  arrangements  with  him  to  come 
back  in  the  course  of  two  or  three  months,  to 
purchase  what  oil  and  mats  the  people  may 
have  on  hand.  He  now  left  the  ship  and 
went  on  shore  in  his  canoe,  and  we  shaped 
our  course  to  the  westward  for  Ocean  and 
Pleasant  Islands. 

The  Kingsmill  or  Gilbert  Islands  are  a 
small  cluster  of  coral  islands,  lying  in  the 
Pacific  Ocean  just  north  of  the  equator, 
fifteen  in  number.  They  form  a  part  of  the 
Mulgrave  Archipelago,  and  contain  a  popula- 
tion of  about  60,000.     They  are  only  fifteen 


TWO  WHALES.  59 

feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  inhab- 
itants are  tall  and  belong  to  the  Malay  race, 
and  in  most  of  the  islands  are  very  savage. 
The  climate  is  delightful.  The  breadfruit  and 
cocoanut-trees,  with  taro,  are  the  most  impor- 
tant productions  of  these  islands. 

March  15.  We  saw  neither  land  nor  sail 
from  the  time  of  leaving  Woodle's  Island 
until  our  arrival  at  Ocean  Island.  Here  the 
canoes  came  off,  bringing  ducks,  hogs,  chicks, 
pumpkins,  yams,  cocoanuts,  and  breadfruit, 
for  which  wre  gave  them  in  return  tobacco, 
pipes,  and  calico. 

March  18.  Pleasant  weather.  At  two 
p.  m.  raised  a  school  of  sperm  whales  four 
miles  off.  We  kept  off  and  ran  down  within 
one  mile  of  them ;  hauled  up  the  mainsail, 
hauled  aback  the  main  yard,  and  lowered  all 
four  boats.  It  was  not  long  before  the  cap- 
tain and  mate  were  both  fast  and  had  their 
whales  killed  and  alongside.  The  remainder 
of  the  school  started  to  the  windward,  and 
after  a  while  the  boats  gave  up  the  chase  and 
came  on  board.  Hoisted  the  boats  and  com- 
menced getting  our  cutting-in  gear  in  order, 
and  at  six  p.  M.  had  everything  ready  for  cut- 
ting in.  At  daylight  called  all  hands  and 
commenced  cutting  in. 


GO      KINGSMILL    GROUP:   FIRST  CRUISE. 

March  19.  Crew  employed  in  cutting  in 
whale.  At  four  p.  m.  finished  cutting  in. 
Employed  in  cutting  up  blubber  and  getting 
it  ready  for  boiling.  At  seven  bells  one  watch 
went  to  supper.  At  eight  p.  m.  set  the  watch 
for  the  night.  Employed  in  boiling.  At 
eight  A.  m.  saw  porpoises. 

March  20.  The  day  commenced  with  fine, 
pleasant  weather.  At  ten  a.  m.  finished  boil- 
ing. Saw  Pleasant  Island  bearing  W.,  dis- 
tance twenty-five  miles.  Our  two  whales 
yielded  50  barrels  of  oil. 

We  sound  our  pumps  occasionally  and  find 
the  ship  as  tight  as  a  bottle. 

March  21.  All  hands  employed  in  clear- 
ing up  the  decks  and  washing  ship.  Pleasant 
Island  in  sight,  bearing  W.,  distance  fifteen 
miles.  At  three  p.  m.  ran  close  in  to  land. 
Several  canoes  came  off.  A  colored  man 
came  off  in  a  whaleboat  with  a  load  of  hogs 
and  ducks.  We  gave  him  in  exchange  cloth- 
ing, pipes,  tobacco,  and  cloth.  He  told  us  that 
he  had  left  a  New  Bedford  ship.  We  also 
bought  some  cocoanuts,  pumpkins,  and  yams. 
We  cruised  around  these  islands  for  six  weeks 
without  seeing  the  spout  of  a  sperm  whale. 
We  then  ran  out  to  the  Mulgrave  Islands, 
but  did  not  land  on  any  of  them.     We  had 


II ALUS  ISLAND.  Gl 

it  very  squally  and  saw  nothing,  so  we  tacked 
ship  to  the  northward  and  stood  in  amongst 
the  Kingsrnill  Group. 

March  30.  We  took  a  small  whale,  which 
made  30  barrels  of  oil. 

April  10.  The  day  commenced  with 
squally  weather.  At  one  p.  m.  we  made 
Woodle's  Island,  bearing  W.  N.  W.,  distance 
ten  miles.  At  two  o'clock  several  canoes 
came  off,  also  the  white  man  (Walker)  ;  they 
brought  off  all  the  cocoanut  oil  that  they  had 
made,  which  was  about  ten  barrels.  We  also 
bought  a  lot  of  cocoanuts,  chickens,  mats, 
molasses,  and  breadfruit.  At  six  o'clock  we 
headed  for  Hall's  Island.  Took  in  all  light 
sails.  At  daylight  we  were  close  in  to  the 
land.  Several  canoes  came  off  with  cocoanuts 
and  chickens.  We  did  not  land,  as  the  na- 
tives on  this  island  are  very  treacherous. 
While  cruising  amongst  these  islands  we  spoke 
the  bark  Belle  of  Fairhaven,  Captain  Handy, 
five  years  from  home.  She  had  taken  con- 
siderable oil  and  had  shipped  it  home.  We 
have  now  stowed  down  our  oil  and  got  our 
decks  cleaned  up  once  more,  and  hauled  our 
ship  on  the  wind  heading  to  the  southward, 
looking  for  sperm  whales. 

July  4.     It  is  just  one    year   to-day  since 


62      KIN  GSM  ILL    GROUP:   FIRST   CRUISE. 

we  left  home,  and  have  taken  only  about  420 
barrels  of  sperm  oil,  ten  barrels  of  blaekfish, 
and  about  fifteen  of  cocoanut  oil,  and  are  now 
bound  to  the  Kingsmill  Group  once  more. 
Crew  employed  in  ship's  duties. 

July  6.  Fine,  pleasant  weather.  At  two 
P.  M.  made  Drummond  Island,  bearing-  W.  N. 
AV.,  distance  twelve  miles.  At  four  p.  m. 
several  canoes  came  off  with  cocoanuts,  chick- 
ens, mats,  and  breadfruit.  At  six  o'clock  we 
shaped  our  course  for  Sydenham  Island,  and 
took  in  all  light  sails.  At  eight  o'clock 
hauled  aback  the  main  yard,  and  at  four  a.  m. 
kept  off  again  for  Sydenham  Island.  At 
seven  o'clock  several  canoes  came  off,  loaded 
with  cocoanuts,  mats,  and  chickens. 

August  20.  Since  leaving  Sydenham  Is- 
land, we  have  taken  about  150  barrels  of 
sperm  oil.  At  one  P.  M.  we  made  Morgan 
Island,  bearing  W.,  distance  ten  miles.  At 
three  p.  m.  several  canoes  came  off  with  cocoa- 
nuts,  breadfruit,  and  some  cocoanut  oil.  The 
natives  were  very  anxious  for  us  to  go  on 
shore,  but  Captain  Hussey  told  them  that  we 
would  be  back  in  about  two  weeks,  and  then 
we  would  do  so.  Several  of  the  chiefs  came 
on  board ;  Captain  Hussey  gave  them  some 
pipes  and  tobacco,  and  they  went  their  way. 


KING  A  MAN  NOOK.  03 

August  21.  After  leaving  Morgan  Island 
we  stood  to  the  northward  in  hopes  of  falling 
in  with  more  sperm  whales. 

On  the  27th  of  August  we  raised  a  school 
of  sperm  whales,  and  lowered  the  boats  and 
captured  two  of  them.  Took  them  alongside 
and  commenced  cutting  them  in.  On  the 
28th  we  had  them  cut  in  and  commenced 
boiling.  The  29th  being  pleasant,  we  finished 
boiling",  the  whales  making  50  barrels  of  oil. 
We  continued  cruising  about  until  Tuesday, 
September  5,  when  we  again  made  Morgan 
Island  directly  ahead,  distance  about  eight 
miles.  At  two  p.  m.  several  canoes  came  off, 
bringing  cocoanuts,  mats,  and  breadfruit.  At 
four  o'clock  Captain  Hussey  and  myself  went 
on  shore  in  one  of  the  ship's  boats.  After 
landing  we  were  escorted  to  the  king's  house, 
and  there  we  had  an  introduction  to  King 
Amannook.  When  we  entered  his  palace 
he  was  standing  on  a  large  mat  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  floor,  and  as  soon  as  he  saw  us 
he  came  forward  and  hug-oed  us  as  if  we 
were  children.  He  then  had  some  cocoa- 
nuts  and  toddy  brought  for  our  refreshment. 
We  had  for  our  interpreter  a  native  from  one 
of  the  other  islands.  After  making  arrange- 
ments for  our  stay  on  shore  we  returned  to 


64      KIN  GSM  ILL   GROUP:   FIRST   CRUISE. 

the  ship  for  some  provisions,  tobacco,  and 
pipes.  When  we  came  back  to  the  island  we 
made  a  contract  for  all  the  oil  which  was  then 
made,  or  which  might  be  manufactured  for 
the  period  of  three  years.  This  was  signed 
by  King  Amannook  and  several  of  the  head 
chiefs.  The  king  then  showed  us  the  house 
that  we  were  to  occupy  until  we  could  have 
one  built  for  us.  We  now  had  everything 
brought  from  the  boat  to  our  new  quarters. 
We  had  twelve  large  oil  casks  brought  on 
shore  and  the  boat  hauled  up  and  covered 
over  with  mats  to  keep  the  sun  off  of  her. 
Before  leaving  the  ship  the  captain  had  given 
the  first  mate,  Mr.  Fisher,  orders  to  cruise  to 
the  northward  of  the  island,  and  to  return 
here  in  two  or  three  weeks  to  see  how  we 
were  getting  along,  and  if  we  needed  any- 
thing in  the  way  of  provisions  or  articles  to 
trade.  We  had  two  men  on  Pitt's  Island,  two 
on  Hall's,  and  two  on  Woodle's  Island  for  the 
purpose  of  purchasing  cocoanut  oil  and  mak- 
ing arrangements  for  future  suj^plies.  The 
ship  made  sail  and  stood  to  the  northward  of 
the  island.  As  night  came  on  and  our  little 
ship  was  fast  going  out  of  sight,  the  reader 
may  imagine  the  feelings  of  myself,  a  boy  of 
seventeen,  now  left  upon  an  island  where  we 


LIFE   ON  MORGAN  ISLAND.  65 

had  just  been  informed  by  the  king',  who  was 
an    old   man  at   the   time,  that   we   wrere   the 
first  white  men  who  had  ever  landed  on  his 
shores.     As  may  be  surmised,  we  were  objects 
of  great  curiosity  to  the  islanders,  who  came 
from  near  and  far  to  see  us.     The  situation 
was  not  in  all  respects  an  agreeable  one,  for 
the  natives,  like  those  of  many  other  Pacific 
islands,  were  of  cannibalistic  projDensities,  and 
some  of  them   looked  as  if   they  thought   a 
white  man's  flesh  would  furnish  a  satisfactory 
meal.     Captain  Hussey  and  myself,  although 
under  royal  protection,  kept  a  sharp  lookout, 
and  muskets  wrere   our   constant   companions 
by  day  and  night.     It  was  while  we  were  on 
shore  that  the  incident  of  hoisting"  the  Ameri- 
can   flag   on  Morgan   Island   occurred.     The 
flag  was  raised,  not  only  for  the  purpose  of 
signaling  the  ship  Planter,  but  also  to  show 
to  ships  of  other  nations  that  Americans  had 
the  prior  right  there,  and  to  notify  them  that 
Americans  were    living  on   the   island.     We 
now  purchased  some   land  of  the   king,  and 
proceeded  to  build  a  house  for  our  own  use. 
In  about  two  weeks  we  had  a  very  neat  cot- 
tage built,  with  one  large  front  room  and  one 
bedroom.      Our    furniture    consisted    of    one 
long  settee  on  each  side  of  the  front  room, 


66      KINGS  MILL   GROUP:   FIRST  CRUISE. 

and  a  large  table  which  stood  in  the  centre 
of  the  room,  with  a  settee  on  each  side. 
For  our  bedding1  we  had  one  large  mat  on  the 
floor,  one  mat  doubled  up  for  a  pillow,  and 
another  large  mat  for  a  covering. 

The  climate  is  mild,  with  considerable  rain ; 
but  there  are  no  traces  of  those  violent  winds 
which  render  the  stormy  months  in  the  is- 
land so  dreadful.  The  taro  root  grown  here 
is  of  a  superior  quality.  The  breadfruit-trees 
are  not  as  abundant  as  in  some  of  the  other 
islands,  but  the  quality  of  the  fruit  is  very 
good.  The  only  quadrupeds  on  the  island 
are  rats.  The  inhabitants  are  of  the  Malay 
race.  They  are  in  general  above  the  middle 
size,  and  some  are  very  large.  They  are 
well  made,  walk  gracefully,  run  nimbly,  and 
are  capable  of  enduring  great  fatigue.  They 
have  fine  open  countenances ;  and  the  women, 
in  particular,  have  good  eyes  and  teeth,  are 
sensible  looking,  and  possess  manners  of  en- 
gaging sweetness.  There  is  one  peculiarity 
characteristic  of  the  people  who  inhabit  these 
islands,  that  even  in  the  handsomest  faces 
there  is  a  fullness  of  the  nostrils,  without  any 
flatness  or  spreading  of  the  nose.  The  king, 
chiefs,  and  married  women  wear  a  small  mat 
around  them,  while   the  slaves  and  children 


NATIVE   OCCUPATIONS.  67 

go    naked.      Tattooing    the   body    is   largely 
practiced,  but  the  women  are  far  less   deco- 
rated than  the  men.     They  live  in  small  vil- 
lages, containing   from  forty  to   sixty  houses, 
built  closely  together,  without  any  order,  and 
having  a  winding  path  between  them.     Their 
food  consists    principally  of   fish,   cocoanuts, 
taro  root,  breadfruit,   and   large   land   crabs. 
The  making  of  canoes,   mats,   and   cocoanut 
oil  forms  the  occupation   of  the   men,  while 
the    women    are    employed    in    cooking,   and 
assist  in  the  making  of  oil.     Dancing  is  their 
principal  amusemeut.     Their  canoes  are  made 
of  cocoanut  wood,  and  some  of  them  are  large 
enough  to  carry  a  hundred  men.     The  build- 
ing of  a  canoe  is  a  laborious  undertaking,  sev- 
eral years  being  frequently  consumed  in  the 
operation.     The  native  falls  a   cocoanut-tree 
and  cuts  it  into  pieces  from  four  to  ten  feet 
in  length.     These  are  split  into  boards  about 
an  inch  in  thickness,  and  afterwards  rubbed 
smooth  with    sand    and    stones.     Dried    fish- 
bones are  used  to   bore  holes  in  the  boards, 
which  are  fastened  together  with  fine  twine 
in  place  of  nails.     They  make  their  sails  of 
mats,  by   sewing    several   of    them   together, 
and  ropes  of  all  sizes  from  the  fibre  of   the 
cocoanut  husk.     Thev  build  their  villages  on 


68      KINGSMILL   GROUP:   FIRST   CRUISE. 

the  lee  side  of  the  islands,  and  always  keep  a 
fire  burning  through  the  night  in  all  of  the 
villages.  They  are  a  very  superstitious  people, 
and  take  their  regular  turns  through  the  night 
in  feeding  the  fires.  They  always  take  a  sea 
bath  early  in  the  morning.  Their  marriage 
ceremonies  are  performed  in  the  big  house,  as 
they  call  it.  This  is  a  central  council-house,  of 
which  there  is  one  in  every  village.  The  cere- 
mony consists  in  placing  the  bride  and  groom  in 
a  large  basket  and  lifting  and  lowering  them 
three  times.  They  never  bury  their  dead, 
but  place  the  remains  in  the  middle  of  the 
floor  and  cover  them  over  with  mats,  where 
they  remain  until  they  are  entirely  decom- 
posed, when  the  bones  are  taken  out  and 
hung  up  in  one  corner  of  the  room.  While 
I  was  living  on  shore  the  king's  son  was  very 
anxious  that  I  should  name  his  little  daughter, 
a  babe  of  three  months ;  so  I  named  her  after 
my  mother,  Caroline,  or,  as  they  called  it, 
Ecaroline.  Their  manner  of  extracting  teeth 
is  by  placing  a  piece  of  wood  against  the 
tooth  and  striking  it  with  a  large  stone.  Cap- 
tain Hussey  extracted  a  number  of  teeth  for 
them  while  we  were  on  shore. 

Sejrtember  26.     The  natives  are  busily  en- 
gaged in  making  oil  for  us.     We  have  now 


RETURN   OF  THE  PLANTER.  G9 

been   on    shore  three  weeks,  and  are  looking 
daily  for  the  arrival  of  our  ship. 

At  daylight  on  the  27th  one  of  the  natives 
came  running1  to  our  house  and  told  us  that 
there  was  a  vessel  coming-  toward  the  island. 
We  immediately  went  over  on  the  weather  side 
of  the  island ;  by  this  time  she  was  running 
in  by  the  point  of  land,  so  that  we  could  very 
distinctly  make  her  out  to  be  our  ship.  We 
set  our  American  ensign  so  that  the  mate 
would  know  that  we  were  all  right  on  shore. 
It  was  not  long  before  the  second  mate  was 
seen  to  lower  his  boat  and  come  toward  us. 
We  were  glad  to  see  some  of  our  crew  once 
more.  They  had  taken  50  barrels  of  sperm 
oil  since  leaving  the  island.  Captain  Hussey 
went  on  board  the  ship  with  the  second  mate 
and  in  a  short  time  returned  with  two  boats 
to  take  our  oil,  of  which  we  had  about  20 
barrels,  on  board.  We  soon  had  it  rafted, 
towed  alongside,  and  hoisted  on  deck.  In  the 
course  of  the  day  I  went  on  board  to  get  some 
clothing  and  other  things  which  I  needed. 
The  ship  left  at  sundown  for  another  short 
cruise  amongst  the  islands.  The  natives  were 
very  much  pleased  to  see  the  ship  return,  and 
would  often  ask  us,  "  How  many  months  be- 
fore the  ship  will  return  ?  " 


70      KINGSMILL    GROUP:   FIRST   CRUISE. 

The  day  after  the  ship  left  us  was  rather  a 
lonesome  one,  so  I  picked  up  my  gun  and 
took  a  stroll  amongst  the  villages,  to  see  how 
the  natives  were  STettino*  alone:  in  making:  oil. 
I  had  now  become  pretty  well  acquainted  with 
their  language,  so  it  was  rather  interesting 
for  me  to  visit  the  different  villages  and  try  to 
converse  with  them.  I  would  ask  them  the 
name  of  different  things,  and  in  that  way  I  got 
so  that  I  could  talk  their  language  very  well. 

After  we  had  been  on  shore  a  few  weeks, 
and  had  begun  to  feel  accustomed  to  the 
routine  of  our  life,  its  monotony  wras  inter- 
rupted by  the  arrival  of  a  native,  who  told  us 
that  there  was  a  ship  in  sight.  We  immedi- 
ately went  down  to  the  beach,  and  saw  a  ves- 
sel standing  in  toward  the  land.  I  hoisted 
the  American  flag,  and  had  our  whaleboat 
launched,  put  in  a  few  cocoanuts,  and  we 
started  to  board  her.  In  the  mean  time  sev- 
eral large  canoes  had  started  off,  loaded  with 
cocoanuts,  mats,  and  breadfruit.  When  we 
were  within  one  mile  distance  of  her,  to  our 
great  surprise  her  captain  squared  his  main 
yard,  kept  his  ship  off,  and  ran  away  from  us. 
We  made  all  kinds  of  signals  for  him  to  stop, 
but  he  could  not  see  the  point,  and  in  a  short 
time    the  ship  was  out    of  sight.     We   were 


LEAVING  MORGAN  ISLAND.  71 

very  much  disappointed,  and  more  so  on  ac- 
count of  the  natives,  as  they  could  not  seem 
to  understand  why  the  ship  did  not  stop.  She 
proved  to  be  a  whaler,  but  we  never  had  the 
pleasure  of  ascertaining  her  name.  We  landed 
and  hauled  our  boat  up  on  the  beach,  and  got 
our  supper.  After  supper  I  took  a  walk  along 
the  beach,  where  the  natives  had  a  large  fire 
burning,  and  gave  them  some  tobacco  and  a 
few  pipes.  I  remained  with  them  for  some 
time,  and  when  I  bade  them  good-night  they 
were  enjoying  themselves  in  smoking  and  tell- 
ino-  stories. 

On  the  morning  of  December  6  our  ship 
hove  in  sio-ht  off  the  north  end  of  the  island. 
We  ran  up  the  American  flag,  got  our  boat 
ready  for  launching,  put  in  a  few  cocoanuts 
and  breadfruit,  and  started  for  the  ship.  It 
was  now  just  three  months  since  we  came  on 
shore,  and  during  that  time  the  ship  had  taken 
70  barrels  of  sperm  oil.  In  the  mean  time, 
Captain  Hussey  had  decided  to  go  to  Sydney, 
Australia,  to  recopper  the  ship  and  fit  for  a 
trading  voyage.  So  after  getting  our  oil,  of 
which  we  had  about  20  barrels,  on  board,  and 
presenting  the  king  and  chiefs  with  some  to- 
bacco and  pipes,  we  bade  them  adieu  and 
went  on  board.     After  hoisting  in  our  oil  and 


72      KIN  GSM  ILL   GROUP:   FIRST   CRUISE. 

boats  we  made  sail  for  Pitt's  Island  to  procure 
some  wood  and  water.  Arriving:  there  the  fol- 
lowing  morning  at  daylight,  all  hands  were 
called  to  get  the  water  casks  ready  to  go  on 
shore.  At  seven  bells  we  got  breakfast,  and  at 
eight  pulled  ashore  with  twelve  large  casks, 
while  one  boat's  crew  went  for  wood.  At  eleven 
a.  m.  the  boats  came  off  with  the  water, 
which  was  hoisted  on  board  and  stowed  be- 
tween decks.  On  December  8,  at  one  p.  m., 
the  boat's  crew  that  was  sent  for  wood  re- 
turned ;  took  the  wood  on  board  and  got  din- 
ner. After  dinner  Captain  Hussey  went  on 
shore  with  his  boat's  crew,  and  at  four  p.  m.  re- 
turned, bringing  with  him  a  load  of  cocoanuts 
and  breadfruit.  While  he  was  on  shore  Captain 
Hussey  made  arrangements  with  King  George 
to  hold  all  the  oil  the  natives  were  likely  to 
make  until  our  return  to  the  islands,  which 
he  thought  would  be  in  three  or  four  months. 
The  natives  of  these  islands  smoke  a  great 
deal,  though  not  much  at  a  time,  using  pipes 
with  large  bowls.  These  they  light,  and, 
putting  them  to  their  mouths,  take  a  long 
draught,  getting  their  mouths  as  full  as  they 
can  hold  of  smoke,  and  their  cheeks  distended, 
and  then  blow  it  slowly  through  their  mouths 
and    nostrils.     The   pipe   is   then    passed  to 


ROTUMAH  ISLAND.  73 

others,  who  draw  in  the  same  manner,  one 
pipeful  serving  for  a  dozen  people.  All  the 
men,  women,  and  children  smoke. 

Ha  vino-  bade  them  adieu,  we  set  all  sail  for 
Sydney.  The  wind  blew  strong,  with  some 
rain,  nearly  all  night,  but  moderated  toward 
morning.  At  eight  a.  m.  saw  a  large  school 
of  blackfish  going  to  the  windward,  but  did 
not  lower  for  them. 

December  14.  After  a  passage  of  six 
days  we  arrived  at  the  island  of  Rotumah, 
which  is  situated  in  lat.  12°  31'  S.,  long.  177° 
15'  E.,  but  did  not  stop,  as  we  raised  a  school 
of  sperm  whales.  Lowered  down  and  cap- 
tured one  of  them  ;  took  him  alongside,  and 
went  to  supper.  We  took  in  all  light  sails 
and  lay  by  for  the  night.  At  daylight  we 
called  all  hands  and  commenced  cutting  in. 
At  eleven  a.  m.  had  finishe'd  cutting  in,  when 
we  made  sail  and  shaped  our  course  anew  for 
Sydney.  Crew  employed  in  cutting  up  the 
blubber. 

December  15.  Employed  in  boiling.  Mid- 
dle parts  pleasant.  At  six  a.  m.  finished  boil- 
in  o*  and  washed  off  decks.  This  whale  made 
30  barrels  of  oil. 

December  25.  We  have  now  stowed  down 
our  oil  and  are  making  preparations  for  going 


74      KINGSMILL   GROUP:  FIRST   CRUISE. 

into  port.  Our  ship  has  been  thoroughly 
cleaned  and  painted  inside,  rigging  rattled 
and  tarred  down,  masts  scraped  and  oiled, 
boats  cleaned  out,  oars  scraped  and  varnished, 
and  everything  put  in  first-class  order.  While 
doing  this  we  continued  sailing  along  in  the 
beautiful  temperate  climate  of  the  Pacific. 
The  Pacific  well  deserves  its  name,  for,  except 
in  the  high  latitudes,  it  has  few  storms,  and 
the  temperature  is  never  either  extremely  hot 
or  cold.  We  are  now  nearing  our  port.  This 
forenoon  our  chains  were  both  hauled  up  on 
deck  and  bent,  and  we  were  just  going  to 
dinner  when  we  raised  a  ship  on  our  lee  bow 
four  miles  off.  We  hauled  the  mainsail  up, 
and  ran  down  and  spoke  her.  She  proved  to 
be  the  ship  Boy  of  Warren,  four  days  out 
from  Sydney ;  had  been  struck  by  lightning 
the  day  previous^  and  had  her  fore-topmast 
split  to  pieces.  She  had  been  to  Sydney  to 
land  oil,  give  liberty,  and  get  fresh  provisions. 
She  was  now  bound  on  the  line  whalingf. 

It  is  perhaps  needless  to  say  that  we  saw 
nothing  else  worthy  of  note  until  the  morn- 
ing of  December  28,  when  we  made  the  island 
of  New  Holland,  bearing  S.  W.,  distance  20 
miles.  At  eight  a.  m.  a  pilot  boarded  us  off 
Sydney  Heads.     Our  anchors  were  now  put 


SAILOR'S  LIBERTY.  15 

into  the  shoes  and  the  rigging  all  put  on  deck, 
clear  for  running'.  At  ten  o'clock  we  came  to 
anchor  in  eight  fathoms  of  water  ;  gave  her 
forty  fathoms  of  chain,  furled  the  sails  and 
cleared  the  decks.  In  a  little  while  our  decks 
were  covered  with  people  from  on  shore,  — 
tailors,  blacksmiths,  butchers,  carpenters,  calk- 
ers,  and  sailmakers,  all  soliciting  business. 
After  dinner  we  were  set  at  work  scrubbing 
ship  outside,  to  get  ready  for  painting.  Cap- 
tain Hussey  went  on  shore  with  the  pilot 
shortly  after  we  came  to  anchor. 

December  29.  This  day  fine,  pleasant 
weather.  At  daylight  all  hands  were  called  to 
wash  off  decks.  At  seven  bells  we  went  to 
breakfast.  After  breakfast  the  mate  came 
forward  and  told  the  starboard  watch  to  get 
ready  to  go  on  shore,  and  I,  being  in  that 
watch,  started  immediately  to  make  prepara- 
tion. This  is  the  only  time  that  the  crew  is 
allowed  fresh  water  for  bathing.  Go-ashore 
jackets  and  trousers  were  got  out  and  brushed, 
handkerchiefs  and  hats  overhauled,  one  lend- 
in  o-  to  another,  so  that  among;  the  whole  each 
got  a  good  fit-out.  When  the  watch  were  all 
•ready,  a  boat's  crew  was  called  to  take  them 
on  shore.  A  sailor's  liberty  is  but  for  a  day, 
yet  while   it  lasts  it  is   his  own  ;  he  can  do 


76      KIN  GSM  ILL    GROUP:   FIRST   CRUISE. 

whatever  lie  likes  and  go  wherever  he  pleases. 
We  took  a  stroll  about  the  city  and  went  to  a 
first-class  hotel  and  had  dinner.  After  dinner 
we  hired  a  cab  and  took  a  ride  into  the  coun- 
try. In  the  evening  several  of  our  company 
went  to  the  Pitt  Street  Theatre.  After  the 
performance  was  over  we  came  on  board  the 
ship,  a  pretty  tired  set  of  fellows.  The  day 
was  fine  and  we  enjoyed  it  very  much. 

December  30.  Fine,  pleasant  weather. 
Larboard  watch  ashore  on  liberty  ;  starboard 
watch  employed  in  painting  ship. 

December  31.  Pleasant.  Starboard  watch 
on  liberty  ;  larboard  watch  painting  ship.  At 
six  o'clock  finished  painting  her  outside. 

January  19,  1849.  It  is  now  three  weeks 
since  we  arrived  here,  and  during  that  time 
we  have  had  watch  and  watch  on  shore.  Have 
painted  and  watered  ship ;  hove  her  down  on 
both  sides  and  patched  her  copper,  and  fitted 
for  a  trading  voyage.  The  articles  for  trade 
consist  principally  of  pipes  and  tobacco,  and 
iron-hoop  trinkets,  saws,  bits,  knives,  and  the 
like. 

After  remaining  at  Sydney  a  month,  we 
sailed  again  for  the  Gilbert  Islands,  January 
26. 

Sydney  is  the  capital  of  New  South  Wales, 


SYDNEY.  77 

and  the  oldest  city  in  Australia.  It  is  situated 
on  the  south  shore  of  Port  Jackson,  about  five 
miles  from  the  entrance  to  the  harbor.  The 
whole  circumference  of  the  bay  round  which 
the  city  is  built  forms  a  series  of  natural 
wharves.  Several  of  the  modern  streets,  from 
their  breadth  and  the  size  and  style  of  the 
buildings,  are  not  behind  those  of  the  princi- 
pal cities  of  Europe.  The  chief  thorough- 
fares are  paved,  and  lighted  with  gas,  and 
there  is  an  abundant  supply  of  pure  water. 
The  climate  of  Sydney  is  temperate  and 
healthy. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Second  Cruise  among  the  Kingsmill  Group  :  Tanna  Is- 
land —  Pleasant  Reception  at  Woodle's  Island  —  Old 
Friends  —  Hall's  and  Pitt's  Islands  —  Morgan  Island 

—  Native  Mode  of  making  Cocoanut  Oil  —  A  Murder 

—  Exciting  Adventure  with  a  Whale  —  Death  of  a 
Shipmate  —  Burial  at  Sea  —  Attacked  hy  Natives  at 
Charlotte  Island  —  Bad  Meat — A  Mutiny  and  its 
Result  —  A  Tough  Customer  —  Solomon  Islands  — 
Drummond  Island  —  Hall's  Island  —  Second  Stay  on 
Morgan  Island  —  King  Amannook  takes  Passage  for 
Sydney  —  A  Wreck  on  Bampton  Reef  —  Sydney  — 
The  King  sees  the  Sights. 

January  27,  1849.  Fine,  pleasant  weather. 
We  are  now  once  more  upon  the  ocean,  mak- 
ing the  best  of  our  way  towards  the  Gilbert 
Islands. 

Everything  went  well  until  the  30th,  when 
we  had  a  heavy  gale  from  the  southwest, 
which  lasted  forty-eight  hours,  after  which  we 
had  fine  weather. 

February  12.  This  day  fine,  pleasant 
weather.  At  six  a.  m.  we  made  Tanna  Is- 
land, bearing  N.  E.,  distance  fifteen  miles. 
At  eight  o'clock  the  natives  came  off,  bring- 


TANNA   ISLAND.  79 

ing  with  them  various  kinds  of  fruit,  chick- 
ens, and  hogs,  for  which  we  gave  them  in 
return  tobacco,  pipes,  and  cloth.  We  did  not 
land.  This  island  is  one  of  the  New  Heb- 
rides, and  is  situated  in  lat.  19°  32'  S.,  long. 
169°  41'  E.,  and  is  22  miles  long  and  10 
broad.  There  are  on  it  a  volcano  and  several 
hot  springs.  It  was  discovered  in  1774  by 
Captain  Cook,  who  named  the  harbor  where 
he  lay  Port  Resolution,  from  the  name  of  his 
ship.  The  inhabitants  are  brave  and  hospi- 
table ;  their  arms  are  bows  and  arrows,  slings, 
spears,  and  clubs. 

We  continued  on  our  course  to  the  north- 
ward until  the  morning  of  February  23,  when 
we  again  made  Sydenham  Island.  The  na- 
tives came  off  as  usual,  bringing  with  them 
cocoanuts,  mats,  breadfruit,  and  chickens. 
We  did  not  stop,  but  ran  down  for  Woodle's 
Island. 

February  24.  This  day  fine,  pleasant 
weather.  Running;  for  Woodle's  Island.  At 
six  p.  m.  took  in  all  light  sails.  At  daylight 
Woodle's  Island  bore  W.  by  N.,  distance 
eight  miles.  At  seven  o'clock  canoes  came 
off ;  our  friend  Walker  also  came  on  board. 
The  people  were  very  glad  to  see  us  again. 
We  made  arrangements  with  them  to  take  all 


80    KINGSMILL   GROUP:  SECOND   CRUISE. 

the  oil  that  they  could  make,  the  ship  to 
come  around  once  a  month  for  that  purpose. 
We  purchased  all  they  had  on  hand,  and  also 
took  a  lot  of  chickens  and  green  cocoanuts, 
and  gave  them  in  exchange  tobacco  and  pipes, 
which  they  were  very  glad  to  get,  as  their 
supply  of  tobacco  was  getting  short.  At 
eleven  o'clock  we  left  for  Pitt's  Island. 

February  26.  At  daylight  the  island  was 
about  five  miles  distant.  At  seven  a.  m.  we 
rounded  the  westernmost  point,  when  we  saw 
a  lot  of  canoes  coming  off.  Our  old  friend, 
George  Duran,  and  one  Dick  came  on  board, 
and  were  very  glad  to  see  us.  They  told  us 
that  the  bark  Belle  of  Fairhaven  had  been 
there,  and  that  Captain  Handy  had  bought 
all  the  oil  he  could  get  hold  of.  So  Ave  got 
very  little  this  time.  We  landed  some  articles 
for  trading-  and  a  few  casks,  and  told  them 
that  we  would  come  back  in  three  or  four 
weeks ;  we  then  stood  to  the  northward  in 
search  of  whales. 

February  27.  At  daylight  we  raised  a 
school  of  sperm  whales.  We  captured  two, 
which  made  forty  barrels  of  oil.  After  cruis- 
ing three  weeks  we  again  returned  to  Woodle's 
Island.  Captain  Hussey  went  on  shore  with 
his  boat's  crew  and  sent  the  raft  of  cocoanut 


TRADING.  81 

oil  alongside.  We  hoisted  it  on  board  and 
shaped  our  course  for  Hall's  Island. 

February  28.  Fine,  pleasant  weather.  At 
six  a.  m.  we  made  Hall's  Island,  bearing  N. 
N.  \V.,  distance  eight  miles.  At  seven  o'clock 
a  number  of  canoes  came  off  with  cocoanut 
oil,  mats,  and  molasses.  We  backed  our 
main  yard  and  allowed  the  canoes  to  come 
alongside.  Having  purchased  all  their  oil,  we 
again  made  sail  for  Pitt's  Island. 

March  1.  Fine,  pleasant  weather.  At 
eleven  a.  m.  made  Pitt's  Island,  bearing  W. 
N.  W.,  distance  ten  miles. 

March  2.  At  one  p.  m.,  when  well  in 
shore,  the  canoes  came  off,  bringing  cocoanuts, 
mats,  and  molasses.  Captain  Hussey  and  the 
second  mate  went  on  shore  with  their  boats 
and  brought  off  about  twenty  barrels  of 
cocoanut  oil.  At  four  o'clock  we  sailed  for 
Morgan  Island. 

We  continued  on  our  northeast  course 
without  anything  material  transpiring  until 
March  6,  when  we  saw  Morgan  Island  at  six 
a.  m.,  bearing  W.  S.  W.,  distance  ten  miles. 
At  eight  o'clock  stood  well  into  the  harbor; 
canoes  came  off  as  usual.  Captain  Hussey 
went  on  shore  and  soon  returned,  bringing 
about  twenty-five  barrels  of  cocoanut  oil.    We 


82  KINGSMILL    GROUP:   SECOND   CRUISE. 

sold  the  natives  some  small  pieces  of  iron 
hoop,  about  six  inches  long  and  two  inches 
wide,  in  the  end  of  which  our  blacksmith  had 
filed  a  number  of  teeth.  These  were  fastened 
on  the  end  of  a  piece  of  wood  and  used  to 
grate  cocoanut.  In  preparing  the  cocoanut 
to  make  oil,  the  grated  nut  is  allowed  to  fall 
on  a  large  mat,  and  is  placed  in  the  sun  for 
three  or  four  days.  When  it  is  ready  for 
pressing  it  is  made  up  into  small  packages 
which  are  placed  on  a  frame  similar  to  a  car- 
penter's saw-horse ;  under  this  is  placed  a 
large  clam-shell,  capable  of  holding  about  a 
gallon,  to  catch  the  dripping  oil.  The  press 
is  completed  by  cutting  a  hole  in  a  tree  some 
four  feet  from  the  ground  and  inserting  one 
end  of  a  cocoanut  log  about  twenty  feet  long 
into  it,  the  log  resting  on  the  frame  holding 
the  bundle  of  grated  nut,  which  is  placed  a 
few  feet  from  the  tree.  Then  the  entire 
family  mount  the  other  end  of  the  log  and 
sit  there  till  the  process  of  extracting  the  oil 
is  completed.  Sometimes  they  have  to  call  in 
their  neighbors  to  help  them ;  and  as  a  rule 
they  manage  to  press  out  only  about  two 
thirds  of  the  oil. 

Having    completed    our    transactions    with 
the  natives,  we  left  the  island  to  cruise  to  the 


A   MURDER.  83 

westward  in  search  of  sperm  whales.  No- 
thin  v  material  occurred  until  our  arrival  at 
Pleasant  Island  on  March  15,  when  we  were  in- 
formed that  one  Johnson,  a  colored  man,  and  a 
white  man  had  been  murdered  by  the  natives. 
It  appears  that  the  white  man  was  at  a  dance 
somewhat  intoxicated,  where  he  got  into  a 
fight  with  one  of  the  chief's  sons,  striking 
him  on  the  head  with  a  stone  and  killing  him 
instantly.  At  this  the  natives  became  ex- 
asperated, and  killed  both  the  white  man  and 
Johnson.  Here  we  bought  some  hogs,  ducks, 
and  breadfruit.  The  next  day,  March  16, 
laro-e  schools  of  bonito  and  abacora  came 
around  the  ship  ;  several  of  the  crew  got  out 
lines,  and  in  a  short  time  caught  enough  for 
all  hands. 

March  19.  At  six  a.  m.  saw  Ocean  Island, 
bearing  W.  by  S.,  distance  fifteen  miles.  At 
eioht  o'clock,  beino;  then  near  the  land,  the 
canoes  came  off,  bringing  pumpkins,  yams, 
cocoanuts,  and  ducks,  for  which  we  gave 
them  in  exchange  tobacco,  pipes,  and  cloth. 

March  25.  At  two  p.  m.,  just  as  the  boat- 
steerer  was  going  aloft  at  the  main-topgallant 
masthead,  he  saw  a  large  spout,  four  points 
off  the  lee  bow,  and  sang  out,  "  There  she 
blows  !  "     Captain  Hussey  was  on  deck  in  an 


84    KINGSMILL    GROUP:  SECOND   CRUISE. 

instant,  and  asked  the  boatsteerer  what  it 
looked  like.  "  It  looks  like  a  large  sperm 
whale."  The  captain  went  aloft  and  in  a 
few  minutes  told  the  man  at  the  wheel  to 
keep  off  four  points.  All  hands  were  called 
on  deck,  and  orders  were  given  to  brace  up 
the  head  yards,  put  the  helm  down,  and  haul 
up  the  foresail,  the  mainsail  having  been 
hauled  up  when  we  kept  off.  The  ship  came 
to  the  wind  with  the  main-topsail  thrown  to 
the  mast.  The  boats  were  got  ready  for 
lowering,  and  by  the  time  the  tubs  were 
placed  in  them,  the  captain  came  on  deck  and 
ordered  all  four  boats  to  be  lowered.  So  into 
them  we  tumbled  and  shoved  off.  As  the 
whale  was  to  the  leeward  of  us,  and  moving 
very  slowly,  we  set  our  sails  and  took  our 
paddles,  so  as  not  to  scare  him.  Quickly  the 
boats  moved  over  the  water  towards  their 
prey.  The  whale  was  now  motionless.  The 
boat  of  the  captain  being  ahead  and  close 
on  to  the  whale,  he  ordered  his  boatsteerer  to 
stand  up.  Just  then  the  whale  raised  its 
huge,  square  head  high  out  of  the  water,  and 
the  captain  shouted,  "  Now  is  your  time ! 
Give  it  to  him  ! '  The  next  moment  two 
irons  went  into  the  huge  creature  just  behind 
the  hump.     "  Stern  all  !  "  cried  Captain  Hus- 


AN  EXCITING  ADVENTURE.  85 

sey ;  "  stern  all,  I  tell  you  !  '  but  the  men 
were  not  quick  enough,  and  a  moment  later 
the  whale's  tail  came  crashing  through  the 
bow  of  the  boat,  killing  one  man  and  badly  in- 
juring the  boatsteerer.  The  whale  then  struck 
the  boat  aft  and  smashed  it  to  pieces.  By 
this  time  we  were  alongside  in  the  bow  boat. 
We  took  in  the  boatsteerer  and  the  body  of  our 
unfortunate  comrade,  and  the  rest  of  the  crew 
of  the  demolished  boat  climbed  into  our  boat. 
Then  we  pulled  back  to  the  ship,  hoisted  our 
boat  up,  and  attended  to  the  needs  of  the  in- 
jured boatsteerer.  The  body  of  the  man  who 
was  killed  was  laid  out  on  a  mattress  on  the 
quarter-deck.  While  all  this  was  happening, 
the  mate,  Mr.  Fisher,  had  gone  up  to  the  whale 
and  put  one  iron  into  him,  and  was  in  the  act  of 
putting  in  the  second  iron  when  the  monster 
turned  and  came  for  the  boat.  In  a  moment's 
time  the  whale's  jaws  had  closed  upon  the 
boat,  and  the  boatsteerer  was  knocked  over- 
board. The  second  iron  caught  him  in  the 
palm  of  the  hand  and  carried  him  down 
under  the  whale,  and  when  he  came  up  he 
was  nearly  drowned.  Not  satisfied  with  what 
he  had  done,  the  whale  threw  himself  out  of 
the  water,  and  came  down  upon  the  pieces  of 
the  boat  with  a  crash  that  completed  its  de- 


86    KIN  GSM  ILL   GROUP:   SECOND   CRUISE. 

struction.  In  the  mean  time  the  second  mate 
was  busy  picking  up  the  men.  As  soon  as 
this  was  accomplished  he  turned  his  boat  to- 
wards the  ship,  their  enemy  in  full  chase,  and 
giving  the  men  plenty  of  reason  for  doing 
some  lively  pulling.  We  kept  the  ship  off 
and  ran  down  to  them  and  took  them  on 
board.  We  now  furled  all  our  light  sails  and 
went  to  supper.  This  had  been  a  sorry  day 
for  us  :  one  seaman  killed,  another  injured, 
and  two  boats  smashed  to  pieces.  The  only 
thing-  saved  from  the  mate's  boat  was  one  oar. 
We  lay  by  during  the  night,  and  threw  oil 
overboard  occasionally,  hoping  that  we  might 
have  another  chance   at  the  whale  when  the 


morning  came. 


I  shall  never  forget  the  sight  of  my  poor 
shipmate  as  we  pulled  up  to  what  remained 
of  the  captain's  boat.  After  supper  that 
night  the  sailors  gathered  around  his  cold  and 
lifeless  body,  subdued  and  broken  in  spirit. 
Poor  fellow !  We  watched  over  his  remains 
through  the  night,  and  in  the  morning  we 
washed,  shaved,  and  dressed  in  clean  clothes, 
and  then  carefully  sewed  him  up  in  strong 
canvas,  and  secured  a  bag  of  stones  at  his 
feet.  An  air  of  profound  sorrow  reigned 
throughout  the  ship.     It  was  indeed  an  hour 


BURIAL   AT  SEA.  87 

of  sadness  when  the  ship  was  hove  to,  to  per- 
form the  rites  of  burial.  At  eight  a.  m.  all 
hands  were  called  aft  and  stationed  in  the 
starboard  gangway ;  the  American  ensign  was 
run  up  at  half  mast,  and  the  body  was  placed 
on  a  board  in  the  gangway.  After  this  was 
done  Captain  Hussey  commenced  the  reading 
of  the  service  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  There 
was  a  moment's  pause  as  he  came  to  the 
sentence,  "  We  now  commit  his  body  to  the 
deep."  It  was  read,  a  deep  splash  was 
heard,  and  the  body  of  our  poor  shipmate 
sank  beneath  the  blue  wave,  there  to  rest 
until  the  sea  shall  give  up  its  dead.  He  was 
a  Portuguese,  and  belonged  to  the  Western 
Islands. 

When  this  mournful  ceremony  was  over 
sail  was  ao-ain  made  and  the  mastheads  were 
manned,  but  we  saw  nothing  more  of  our 
whale.  It  was  about  four  weeks  before  our 
boatsteerer  was  able  to  return  to  duty.  We 
cruised  around  here  for  a  few  days,  and  then 
stood  to  the  northward  to  work  up  amongst 
the  islands. 

April  15.  Nothing  of  importance  has 
transpired  for  the  last  three  weeks.  At  day- 
light this  morning  a  sail  was  seen  on  the  lar- 
es O 

board  bow,  but  at  so  great  a  distance  that  we 


88    KINGS  MILL    GROUP:   SECOND   CRUISE. 

could  not  ascertain  her  character  from  the 
masthead  with  a  glass.  At  ten  o'clock  we 
caught  a  porpoise,  which  made  a  fresh  mess 
for  all  hands. 

April  18.  To-day  we  killed  a  large  hog, 
which  furnished  all  hands  with  another  fresh 
mess.  This  morning  saw  Drummond  Island, 
bearing  W.  S.  W.,  distance  eight  miles  ;  we 
stood  close  in  with  the  land,  when  canoes 
came  off,  bringing  chickens,  eggs,  and  cocoa- 
nuts.  We  continued  on  to  Hall's  Island,  and 
purchased  of  the  natives  some  fifteen  barrels 
of  cocoanut  oil. 

April  23.  At  six  a.  m.  we  made  Charlotte 
Island  ;  stood  well  in  with  the  land.  Captain 
Hussey  and  Mr.  Chase,  the  second  mate,  with 
two  boats'  crews  started  to  go  on  shore. 
When  they  were  within  half  a  mile  of  the 
shore,  they  were  met  by  a  number  of  large 
canoes  loaded  with  men  who  made  an  attack 
upon  them.  As  our  men  were  well  armed, 
they  had  the  advantage  of  the  savages,  and 
each  shot  from  our  side  sent  one  of  them  to  his 
long  home.  They  soon  made  a  general  stam- 
pede, jumping  overboard  and  swimming  for 
the  shore.  We  captured  two  of  the  canoes 
and  took  them  on  board.  While  the  fighting 
was  going  on,  the  ship  lay  about  half  a  mile 


AN  ENGLISH  BARK.  89 

distant,  but  we  could  not  assist  our  men, 
as  we  were  afraid  of  shooting  them.  The 
captain  thought  there  were  fifty  or  sixty 
natives  killed  ;  we  lost  no  men.  After  hoist- 
ino-  our  boats  we  made  sail  and  stood  to  the 
northward. 

April  30.  At  daylight  a  sail  was  sighted 
from  the  masthead,  bearing  four  points  abaft 
the  weather  beam,  and  at  so  short  a  distance 
that  her  character  was  distinctly  made  out  to 
be  that  of  a  whaler.  We  kept  off  and  ran 
down  and  spoke  her.  She  proved  to  be  an 
English  bark  four  months  out  from  Sydney, 
with  60  barrels  of  sperm  oil.  Caught  several 
dolphins.  At  eleven  o'clock  raised  a  school 
of  sperm  whales,  lowered  all  four  boats  and 
captured  one  of  them  ;  took  him  alongside  and 
went  to  dinner. 

May  1.  At  one  p.  m.  commenced  cutting 
in  ;  at  five  o'clock  finished  and  went  to  work 
cutting  up  and  mincing ;  at  eight  we  com- 
menced boiling  ;  watch  set  for  the  night.  At 
eight  a.  m.  finished  boiling.  This  whale  made 
25  barrels  of  oil. 

May  4.  As  usual  in  a  long  course  of  fine 
weather,  nothing  has  occurred  to  interrupt  the 
monotony,  except  the  excitement  produced  by 
the  anticipation  of    our    visit   to  the   islands 


90    KINGSMILL   GROUP:   SECOND   CRUISE. 


again,  which  served  as  a  general  topic  of  con- 
versation among  our  crew.  To-day,  however, 
at  four  o'clock  p.  m.,  we  hoisted  up  and 
opened  a  barrel  of  beef,  when  to  our  great 
surprise  we  found  that  nearly  all  the  pickle 
had  leaked  out  and  that  the  beef  smelled  a 
little.  When  Mr.  Fisher,  the  first  mate,  in- 
formed Captain  Hussey,  he  took  a  look  at  it, 
and  said  the  cook  could  boil  some  for  dinner 
the  following  day,  and  if  it  proved  poor  we 
need  not  eat  it,  but  could  open  another  bar- 
rel. It  is  always  customary  on  board  whale- 
ships  to  put  the  beef  and  pork  in  soak  in  a 
barrel  of  salt  water  over  night,  so  as  to  freshen 
it  somewhat  before  boiling.  The  beef  and 
pork  were  put  in  to  soak  as  usual,  the  barrel 
being  lashed  forward  of  the  try-works  ;  the 
barrel  of  beef  was  also  taken  forward. 

May  5.  Fine,  pleasant  weather.  This 
morning:  the  cook  boiled  the  beef  and  it  was 
eaten  by  all  the  ship's  company,  and  as  there 
was  no  complaint  made  to  the  captain  he 
thought  it  must  be  all  right.  Everything 
went  on  as  usual  during  the  day. 

May  6.  The  day  commenced  with  fine, 
pleasant  weather.  At  six  a.  m.,  when  the 
watch  was  washing  off  the  decks,  the  cook 
came  aft  and  told  Mr.  Fisher,  the  mate,  that 


A    MYSTERIOUS  DISAPPEARANCE.        91 

some  person  or  persons  had  thrown  the  beef 
overboard.  As  soon  as  Captain  Hussey  came 
on  deck,  Mr.  Fisher  told  him  about  it ;  when 
he  ordered  all  hands  to  be  called  aft.  When 
they  came  aft  the  captain  asked  them  who 
threw  the  meat  overboard.  Some  said  that 
they  did  not  know,  while  others  said  nothing. 
It  was  one  of  those  things  that  nobody  knew 
anything  about.  The  meat  jumped  overboard 
without  the  assistance  of  any  one.  He  then 
told  them  that  unless  he  found  out  who  threw 
it  overboard,  there  should  not  be  any  meat 
cooked  in  the  ship  for  the  next  ten  days.  As 
they  made  him  no  reply,  he  told  them  to  go 
forward  to  their  work. 

May  10.  During  the  preceding  three  days 
the  wind  has  been  variable  and  the  weather 
squally.  Nothing  of  importance  transpired 
until  four  o'clock  p.  m.  to-day,  when  we  made 
Pitt's  Island.  Several  canoes  came  off,  and 
the  wind  being  very  light  at  the  time,  Captain 
Hussey  decided  to  go  on  shore  in  one  of  them 
and  have  our  casks  of  oil  all  ready  to  raft  and 
bring  on  board  on  the  following  morning. 
During  the  night  we  stood  off  and  on,  and  at 
daylight  we  stood  in  to  the  land,  when  all 
hands  were  called  to  clear  away  two  of  the 
boats,  the  starboard  and  waist. 


92    KIN  GSM  ILL   GROUP:   SECOND   CRUISE.^ 

As  the  crew  came  aft,  some  of  them  told 
Mr.  Fisher,  the  mate,  that  they  had  concluded 
not  to  do  any  more  duty  on  board  that  ship 
until  they  had  their  meat.  Mr.  Fisher  imme- 
diately went  into  the  cabin  and  wrote  a  note 
to  Captain  Hussey,  after  which  he  came  on 
deck  and  ordered  the  starboard  boat  lowered 
and  sent  the  note  on  shore.  The  boat  soon 
returned  with  the  captain.  When  he  came 
on  deck  he  asked  Mr.  Fisher  what  the  trouble 
was.  The  latter  replied  that  the  crew  had  re- 
fused to  do  any  more  duty  until  they  were 
given  meat.  He  told  Mr.  Fisher  to  call  all 
hands  aft.  When  they  came,  he  asked  them 
what  the  trouble  was,  and  some  of  the  men 
said  they  wanted  meat.  He  told  them  that  if 
they  would  inform  him  who  threw  the  beef 
overboard,  they  should  have  meat ;  otherwise 
they  could  not  have  any  until  the  ten  days 
had  expired.  He  further  told  them  that  they 
would  always  find  him  a  man  of  his  word, 
whether  it  was  for  or  against  them.  Some 
of  the  men  said  they  did  not  throw  it  over- 
board, while  others  made  no  reply.  He  then 
told  them  to  go  forward  to  their  duty  again. 
After  they  had  gone  forward  Captain  Hussey 
told  Mr.  Fisher  to  order  the  starboard  and 
waist  boats  lowered.    When  he  gave  the  order 


MUTINY.  93 

some  of  the  men  said  that  they  would  not  do 
any  more  duty  on  board  until  they  had  their 
meat.  He  came  aft  and  reported  what  had 
been  said  to  the  captain,  who  ordered  the  men 
to  go  aft.  They  swore  that  they  would  not 
go.  He  then  ordered  them  to  go  below,  and 
they  swore  that  they  would  not  do  so,  and 
also  that  no  man  should  be  made  a  prisoner ; 
and  they  threatened  that  there  would  be  blood 
spilled  on  deck  before  any  man  should  be  made 
a  prisoner.  He  then  went  aft  and  told  the 
steward  to  pass  up  the  ship's  fire-arms,  which 
included  muskets,  shot-guns,  rifles,  pistols,  and 
dirk  knives.  Captain  Hussey  drew  the  charges 
from  the  guns  and  reloaded  them.  He  went 
forward  again  and  ordered  the  men  to  go  to 
their  duty,  or  go  below,  but  they  once  more 
replied  that  they  would  not  do  either.  He 
then  went  aft  and  requested  the  officers  to  go 
forward  and  bring  any  man  aft.  In  the  mean 
time  the  crew  had  armed  themselves  with  the 
cook's  axe,  handspikes,  crowbars,  and  any- 
thing they  could  get  hold  of,  and  made  for  the 
officers.  The  captain  told  them  to  go  below 
or  he  would  fire  on  them  ;  but  they  dared  him 
to  fire,  with  oaths,  and  said  there  would  be 
blood  spilt  on  deck  before  any  man  should  go 
below  or  be  made  a  prisoner.     He  again  went 


94     KINGSMILL   GROUP:  SECOND   CRUISE. 

aft  and  directed  the  officers  to  bring  any  one 
aft,  which  was  impossible  for  them  to  do.  So, 
shouting:  to  the  officers  to  look  out  for  them- 
selves,  he  fired  at  the  forecastle,  and  shot 
James  Henry  Clark  in  the  head,  killing  him 
instantly. 

When  the  men  saw  Clark  fall  they  made  a 
general  stampede  for  the  forecastle.  Captain 
Hussey,  however,  thinking  that  they  would 
make  for  the  after  part  of  the  ship,  immedi- 
ately picked  up  another  gun  and  pointed  it 
forward.  By  that  time  the  men  had  all  gone 
below.  The  captain  then  ordered  the  second 
mate  forward  to  the  forecastle  gangway,  and 
the  men  were  made  to  come  up  one  by  one, 
put  in  irons,  and  taken  to  the  quarter-deck. 
There  were  three  boys  of  us  who  had  nothing 
to  do  with  the  mutiny.  After  all  the  crew, 
some  twenty  in  number,  had  been  put  in  irons, 
we  took  up  the  body  of  the  man  who  had  been 
killed  and  laid  it  in  the  boat  over  the  stern, 
where  it  remained  until   the  following  morn- 

The  time  of  this  occurrence  was  a  critical 
one,  for  there  were  upwards  of  three  hundred 
natives  on  the  ship  and  the  captain  was  afraid 
that  they  would  turn  upon  us  and  massacre 
all  on  board.     Captain  Hussey,  however,  was 


THE   CREW  RETURN   TO   DUTY.  95 

prompt  to  act.  As  soon  as  the  man  was  shot 
the  natives  became  frightened  and  jumped 
overboard  and  into  their  canoes,  and  started 
for  the  shore. 

May  11.  At  one  p.  m.  the  crew  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  they  would  return  to  duty 
again,  without  their  meat,  when  they  were  all 
liberated,  and  sent  to  get  their  dinner.  At 
two  o'clock  the  captain  ordered  the  boats  to 
be  lowered  and  sent  on  shore  for  the  casks  of 
oil.  It  was  fortunate  for  the  crew  that  they 
did  not  attempt  to  go  aft  when  Clark  was  shot, 
as  the  captain  afterwards  said  that  he  would 
have  shot  every  one  of  them.  Captain  Hus- 
sey  went  on  shore  in  his  boat  and  sent  the 
oil  on  board.  We  hoisted  it  in  and  the  boat 
returned  for  the  captain,  who  came  on  board 
at  five  p.  m.,  when  we  hoisted  our  boat  and 
stood  off  and  on  during  the  night. 

While  I  stood  at  the  wheel,  gazing  about 
me,  "  How  perfectly  symbolical,"  thought  I, 
"  is  the  diurnal  round  of  this  planet  to  that 
of  man's  life.  How  rapidly  does  it  ascend  in 
the  morning,  nor  slacken  its  pace  until  near 
the  meridian  ;  then  slowly  descending  until  it 
reaches  its  midway  distance  to  the  western 
horizon,  when  its  velocity  is  quickened,  and 
with  almost  the  rapidity  of  thought  it  vanishes 


96     KINGSMILL   GROUP:   SECOND   CRUISE. 

from  the  keenest  vision.  Nearly  two  years 
of  my  life  have  passed  away  on  the  ocean,  and 
to  my  imagination  it  seems  but  as  a  day ;  and 
yet  it  is  gone,  and  I  am  now  in  my  eight- 
eenth year,  with  all  the  buoyancy  of  youth  in 
the  morning  of  life."  What  my  meridian, 
decline,  or  exit  may  be  is  yet  in  futurity ;  at 
all  events,  my  reflections  on  the  past  two 
years  were  not  altogether  of  an  unpleasant 
character.  I  had  advanced  in  the  knowledge 
of  seamanship  and  navigation  as  much  as 
could  be  expected  in  so  short  a  time. 

The  sun  rose,  and  not  a  cloud  obscured  its 
disk  in  ascending  from  beneath  a  perfectly 
well-defined  horizon ;  the  wind  was  fresh  and 
the  sea  smooth,  and  the  ship  was  running 
majestically  over  the  waves  under  a  small 
press  of  canvas,  yet  so  steady  that  her  motion 
could  scarcely  be  felt  on  deck.  Pitt's  Island 
was  yet  in  sight,  bearing  N.  N.  W.,  distance 
eight  miles.  The  usual  and  customary  morn- 
ing duties  were  performed,  —  such  as  hauling 
home  the  sheets,  swaying  up  the  yards  taut, 
washing  down  the  decks,  etc.  At  7.30  a.  m. 
the  body  of  our  shipmate  was  brought  in 
amidship  and  sewed  up  in  canvas  and  a  bag 
of  sand  lashed  to  his  feet.  An  air  of  profound 
sorrow  and  melancholy    reigned    throughout 


SUPERSTITIOUS  SAILORS.  97 

the  ship  when  she  was  hove  to  for  the  burial. 
At  eight  o'clock  all  hands  were  called  and 
took  their  stations  forward  of  the  gangway ; 
the  stars  and  stripes  were  run  up  at  half  mast 
at  the  mizzen  peak,  and  the  body  was  placed 
on  a  plank  at  the  gangway.  The  captain 
read  the  service  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
and  when  he  finished  the  body  of  our  ship- 
mate was  consigned  to  the  deep.  After  this 
ceremony  was  over,  we  braced  forward  the 
main  yard,  set  all  light  sails,  and  stood  in  to- 
wards Pitt's  Island.  At  ten  o'clock  we  took 
a  raft  of  empty  casks  on  shore.  At  11.30  the 
captain  came  on  board,  when  we  hoisted  our 
boat  and  stood  out  to  sea. 

May  12.  This  last  death  has  awakened 
the  superstitious  notions  of  the  crew,  and  it  is 
currently  believed  that  we  shall  have  bad  luck 
during  the  remainder  of  the  voyage.  We  now 
shaped  our  course  for  Pleasant  Island  in  search 
of  whales. 

May  18.  Nothing  material  has  occurred 
during  the  last  six  days.  At  seven  a.  m.  the 
welcome  sound  of  "  Land  ho ! '  was  again 
heard  from  the  masthead.  The  land  was 
Ocean  Island,  which  bore  W.  by  S.,  distance 
eight  leagues.  This  island  is  high  and  has 
every  appearance  of  being  of  volcanic  origin. 


98     KINGSMILL   GROUP:   SECOND   CRUISE. 

At  ten  o'clock  several  canoes  came  off,  bring- 
ing pumpkins,  ducks,  chickens,  and  various 
kinds  of  fruit,  for  which  we  gave  them  in  ex- 
change cloth,  tobacco,  and  pipes. 

May  19.  Fine,  pleasant  weather.  At  two 
p.  M.  an  officer  at  the  main-topgallant  mast- 
head shouted  in  clear  tones,  "There  she 
blows  !  '  "  Where  away  ?  '  cried  the  captain, 
who  was  walking  the  quarter-deck  at  the 
time.  "  Four  points  off  the  weather  beam, 
sir.  There  she  blows  ! ':  "  What  does  it 
look  like  ?  '  the  captain  asked.  "  I  think  it 
is  a  large  sperm  whale,"  was  the  answer. 
Captain  Hussey  took  his  sjoy-glass  and  went 
aloft.  Taking  a  position  near  the  slings  of 
the  fore  yard,  he  turned  his  glass  to  the  wind- 
ward. After  a  few  minutes,  he  gave  the  offi- 
cer on  deck  orders  to  call  all  hands  and  get 
the  boats  ready  for  lowering.  The  whale 
appeared  to  be  terribly  excited,  and  was  breach- 
ing most  wildly  and  throwing  himself  nearly 
out  of  the  water.  Our  next  order  was  to 
haul  up  the  mainsail,  and  haul  aback  the  main 
yard  and  clear  away  the  boats.  All  four 
boats  were  lowered,  and  in  we  tumbled  and 
shoved  off.  We  pulled  to  the  windward  in 
the  direction  of  the  whale.  "  Pull  hard ; 
pull  hard,  I  tell  you.     We  are  most  up  with 


A    TOUGH  CUSTOMER.  99 

him  !  "  I  cannot  say  that  we  felt  very  much 
pleased  or  comfortable  just  then,  for  the  whale 
was  jumping  and  breaching  nearly  out  of  the 
water.  The  boat  moved  swiftly  through  the 
water,  and  by  the  time  we  reached  the  whale 
it  looked  as  though  we  were  going  to  have 
little  trouble  in  fastening  to  him,  for  he  had 
become  motionless.  Sylvia,  the  boatsteerer  of 
our  boat,  stood  up  and  with  the  quickness  of 
lightning  hurled  two  irons  through  the  air. 
The  next  instant  the  boat  was  hidden  from 
view  by  foam  and  spray.  Both  irons  had  gone 
home  just  behind  the  hump.  Suddenly  the 
whale  started  on  a  run  ;  the  line  got  foul  in 
the  bow  of  the  boat,  so  that  we  could  not 
give  him  any  line,  and  on  we  went  in  his  wake. 
In  a  little  while  he  stopped  short,  and  the  boat 
brought  up  on  his  back,  when  he  suddenly 
raised  his  tail  and  cut  the  after  part  of  the 
boat  nearly  off,  knocking  the  boatsteerer 
overboard.  He  then  turned  and  came  for  the 
boat,  with  his  mouth  wide  open,  when  I  and 
another  Nantucket  boy  jumped  overboard  so 
as  to  give  him  full  command  of  the  boat. 
After  I  struck  the  water  I  looked  around  and 
noticed  that  the  whale  had  passed  by  the  boat, 
and  then  I  struck  out  manfully  for  what  was 
left  of  her.     By  this  time  the  mate  had  come 


100    KINGSMILL   GROUP:  SECOND   CRUISE. 

to  our  assistance,  but  the  captain  told  him  to 
fasten  to  the  whale  ;  that  we  could  hang  on 
to  the  boat  until  the  second  mate  could  pick 
us  up.  It  was  but  a  few  minutes  before  Mr. 
Fisher  got  one  iron  into  him  and  soon  had 
him  spouting  thick  blood.  The  second  mate 
now  came  alongside  of  our  boat  and  took  us 
in,  and  also  took  the  boat  in  tow.  The  bow 
boat  went  to  the  assistance  of  the  mate.  We 
pulled  toward  the  ship,  but  kept  our  eyes  upon 
the  whale,  and  smiled  every  time  the  wounded 
monster  spouted  thick  blood.  We  soon 
arrived  alongside,  and  were  not  sorry  to  get 
on  board  again.  After  we  had  changed  our 
clothes  we  went  on  deck  in  time  to  see  the 
whale  going  round  in  a  circle.  At  length  he 
stopped,  and  with  one  mighty  effort  threw 
himself  from  the  water  and  rolled  over  and 
over  several  times,  and  then  remained  on  his 
side,  dead.  We  ran  the  ship  as  near  the  whale 
as  possible,  when  one  of  the  boats  brought  us 
a  line  secured  to  the  flukes,  and  in  a  few  min- 
utes the  prize  was  alongside,  the  fluke  chain 
put  on,  and  we  had  a  good  look  at  the  mon- 
ster which  had  frightened  so  many  men  that 
day.  We  got  up  our  cutting-in  gear,  slung 
the  stages  over  the  side  for  the  mates  to  stand 
on,    and   went   to   supper.     After  supper  we 


PLEASANT  ISLAND.  101 

furled  all  our  light  sails  and  lay  by  until 
morning.  At  daylight  called  all  hands  and 
went  to  work  rolling  in  the  blubber,  large 
blanket  pieces,  about  four  feet  wide  and  ten 
feet  long,  which  were  stowed  away  between 
decks. 

May  20.  Fine,  pleasant  weather ;  crew 
employed  in  cutting  in  whale.  At  sundown 
the  last  blanket  piece  was  on  deck,  and  the 
head  and  case  secured,  and  the  carcass  cut 
adrift.  We  soon  had  our  try-pots  in  full 
blast.  At  daylight  we  resumed  our  mast- 
heads and  the  regular  routine  of  ship  duty. 

May  21.  Pleasant.  Crew  employed  in 
boiling.  At  six  p.  M.  finished.  Our  whale 
made  85  barrels  of  oil.  Washed  off  the 
decks,  got  supper,  and  set  the  watches  for  the 
night.  At  daylight  we  made  all  sail,  washed 
our  decks,  and  shaped  our  course  for  Pleasant 
Island. 

May  23.  Fine,  pleasant  weather.  At  two 
p.  m.  made  Pleasant  Island.  Several  canoes 
came  off  with  hogs,  chickens,  and  cocoanuts, 
for  which  we  gave  them  in  exchange  cloth, 
tobacco,  and  pipes.  At  six  o'clock  we  shaped 
our  course  for  the  Solomon  Islands. 

May  29.  During  the  preceding  days  no- 
thing of  importance  occurred.    At  three  P.  M. 


102     KIN  GSM  ILL   GROUP:   SECOND   CRUISE. 

we  made  Bellona  Island,  situated  in  lat.  11° 
12'  S.,  long.  159°  54'  E.  This  is  one  of  the 
Solomon  Islands,  a  group  of  islands  in  the 
Malay  Archipelago,  between  New  Britain  and 
the  Queen  Charlotte  Islands.  The  area  of 
the  group  is  estimated  at  10,000  square  miles. 
The  natives  are  partly  negrilloes,  partly  Ma- 
lays, and  are  still  in  the  condition  of  savages. 
Here  we  purchased  some  fruit.  Did  not  al- 
low any  of  the  natives  on  deck.  We  cruised 
around  this  chain  of  islands  for  one  week, 
and  seeing  no  whales  we  stood  to  the  north- 
east  again,  and  at  eight  o'clock  on  the  morn- 
ing of  June  7,  it  blowing  hard  and  squally, 
took  in  all  light  sails.  Middle  and  latter 
parts  the  same. 

June  8.  At  two  p.  m.  the  rain  fell  in  tor- 
rents, and  heavy  black  clouds  rolled  up  from 
the  northwest,  with  frequent  claps  of  thunder 
and  sharp  flashes  of  lightning.  The  gale  in- 
creased and  we  came  down  under  three  lower 
topsails ;  the  sea  rose  to  a  tremendous  height ; 
we  expected  every  moment,  from  these  indi- 
cations, a  shift  of  wind.  In  about  twenty 
minutes  the  wind  shifted  suddenly  to  the 
northwest,  and  it  blew  a  perfect  tornado.  At 
two  a.  m.  it  cleared  off  fine ;  the  moon  shone 
brightly,  and  the  sea  became  more   regular, 


CUTTING  IN  AND  BOILING.  103 

presenting  a  very  different  scene  from  that 
which  was  exhibited  at  midnight.  We  now 
shook  the  reefs  out  of  our  topsails,  and  at  six 
a.  M.j  the  wind  being  more  moderate,  set  all 
light  sails. 

June  9.  This  day  fine,  pleasant  weather. 
At  one  p.  m.  raised  a  school  of  sperm  whales. 
Lowered  and  fastened  to  three  small  ones. 
At  four  o'clock  had  them  killed,  and  took 
them  alongside.  We  got  up  our  cutting-in 
gear,  slung  our  stages  for  the  mates,  and  got 
all  ready  for  cutting  in ;  then  went  to  supper. 
At  davlio-ht  we  called  all  hands,  and  went  to 
work  heaving  in. 

June  10.  Crew  employed  in  heaving  in. 
At  three  p.  m.  finished.  We  now  commenced 
boiling.  At  six  o'clock  we  furled  all  light 
sails.  At  eleven  a.  m.  finished  boiling ; 
washed  off  the  decks,  etc.  These  three 
whales  made  us  60  barrels  of  oil. 

June  11.  We  now  set  all  our  light  sails 
and  stood  to  the  northeast. 

The  wind  became  light  and  hauled  around 
to  the  westward  and  held  there  for  four  or 
five  days,  which  gave  us  a  nice  run  to  the 
eastward.  During  this  time  we  saw  nothing 
of  interest. 

June  20.     The  trade  winds  during  the  pre- 


104     KINGSMILL    GROUP:   SECOND   CRUISE. 

ceding  five  days  became  light ;  in  consequence 
of  this  we  did  not  make  Drummond  Island 
until  this  morning  at  eight  o'clock,  when  the 
exciting  cry  of  "  Land  ho  ! '  was  heard  from 
the  masthead.  The  usual  preparations  were 
made  for  receiving  the  canoes  alongside.  At 
ten  a.  m.  canoes  came  off,  bringing  chickens, 
cocoanut  oil,  mats,  cats,  and  molasses,  for 
which  we  gave  in  exchange  tobacco  and  pipes. 
We  jDurchased  about  15  barrels  of  cocoanut 
oil  and  shaped  our  course  for  Sydenham  Is- 
land. 

June  21.  After  leaving  Drummond  Island 
we  took  in  all  light  sails,  and  ran  down  under 
topsails.  At  six  a.  m.  Sydenham  Island  was 
in  sight,  bearing  W.  S.  W.,  distance  six  miles. 
At  seven  o'clock  we  had  the  usual  number  of 
canoes  alongside,  but  allowed  only  a  few  of 
the  natives  on  deck,  as  they  are  very  treach- 
erous. It  was  at  this  island  that  the  ship 
Triton  of  Nantucket,  Captain  Spencer,  had 
trouble  with  the  natives.  We  purchased  what 
oil,  mats,  and  chickens  they  had  brought  off, 
and  at  noon  sailed  for  Henderville  Island. 

June  22.  After  leaving  Sydenham  Island 
we  ran  down  under  topsails.  At  daylight 
made  Henderville  Island,  bearing  W.  by  N., 
distance  twelve  miles.     At  eisfht  a.  jvi.  canoes 


HALL'S  ISLAND.  105 

came  off,  bringing-  chickens,  mats,  oil,  and 
cocoanuts.  At  ten  o'clock  shaped  our  course 
for  Woodle's  Island. 

June  23.  At  1.30  p.  m.,  when  close  in  to 
Woodle's  Island,  canoes  came  off,  loaded  with 
cocoanuts,  chickens,  mats,  and  oil.  At  three 
o'clock  we  shaped  our  course  for  Hall's  Is- 
land. At  six  a.  m.  we  made  the  island,  bear- 
ing" N.  W.,  distance  ten  miles.  The  usual 
preparations  were  now  made  for  coming  to 
anchor,  such  as  hauling  up  the  chains  and 
bending  them,  getting  anchors  over  the  bows, 
etc.  The  anchorage  being  on  the  western  or 
lee  side  of  the  island,  we  now  took  in  and 
furled  all  light  sails,  and  ran  around  the  west 
point,  and  came  to  anchor  in  twenty  fathoms 
of  water  on  the  reef,  about  a  mile  from  the 
shore.  Gave  her  sixty  fathoms  of  chain  and 
furled  all  sails.  We  lost  no  time  in  getting  two 
of  our  boats  down,  and,  being  well  armed, 
started  for  the  shore  to  make  some  arrange- 
ments for  the  oil  produced  on  the  island.  As 
the  boats  pulled  in  towards  the  beach,  the  na- 
tives came  in  large  numbers  to  meet  them. 
We  landed  two  men  on  this  island  to  pur- 
chase oil,  and  after  remaining  there  two  days 
we  got  under  weigh  and  stood  to  sea,  cruising 
for  sperm  whales. 


106     KINGSMILL    GROUP:   SECOND   CRUISE. 

We  continued  our  course  to  the  northeast, 
with  fine  weather  and  fresh  breezes,  until 
June  30.  After  working  up  our  observation, 
we  shaped  our  course  for  the  Mulgrave  Is- 
lands, and  arrived  there  on  July  5.  Several 
canoes  came  off  with  fruit  and  mats.  We 
did  not  land  on  these  islands,  but  cruised 
around  them  until  the  20th.  As  whales  were 
very  scarce,  we  shaped  our  course  for  the 
Kingsmill  Group  again,  and  arrived  at  Drum- 
mond  Island  on  the  morning  of  July  28, 
when  the  natives  came  off  as  usual,  bringing 
with  them  cocoanut  oil,  mats,  and  chickens. 
We  purchased  sixty  nice  chickens  for  one 
pound  of  tobacco  that  cost  us  only  nine  cents. 
At  eleven  a.  m.  we  sailed  for  Woodle's  Is- 
land. 

July  29.  Fine,  pleasant  weather.  All  sail 
set,  running  for  Woodle's  Island.  At  ten 
a.  m.  the  welcome  sound  of  "  Land  ho  !  "  was 
again  heard  from  the  masthead.  This  was 
the  island  to  which  we  had  shaped  our  course. 
As  we  drew  nigh  we  could  see  a  number  of 
canoes  coming  off  to  us.  We  lay  off  and  on, 
and  sent  two  boats  on  shore  to  bring  our  oil 
on  board. 

July  30.  At  two  p.  m.  the  boats  returned 
with  eight   casks   of   cocoanut  oil,   about  45 


BUYING   COCOA  NUT   OIL.  107 

barrels.  We  took  some  empty  casks  on  shore, 
left  some  articles  of  trade,  and  sailed  at  six 
p.  m.  for  Hall's  Island.  We  took  in  all  light 
sails  and  ran  down  under  topsails.  At  day- 
light was  close  in  to  the  land,  and  sent  two 
boats  on  shore  to  bring  our  casks  on  board. 
At  ten  a.  m.  returned  with  five  casks,  about 
30  barrels,  of  cocoanut  oil.  Landed  some 
more  empty  casks,  and  at  noon  sailed  again 
for  Pitt's  Island. 

August  1.  At  daylight  made  Pitt's  Island, 
bearing  N.  W.,  distance  six  miles.  At  seven 
o'clock  we  were  near  the  land,  and  sent  two 
boats  on  shore  for  oil.  At  ten  the  boats  re- 
turned with  12  large  casks  of  cocoanut  oil, 
about  72  barrels.  We  hoisted  them  on  board 
and  took  some  empty  casks  and  some  other 
articles  on  shore,  and  brought  off  a  load  of 
cocoanuts.  At  noon  the  captain  came  on 
board  and  we  hoisted  our  boats  and  stood  to 
the  northeast. 

August  3.  At  five  a.  m.  the  stars  and 
stripes  were  hoisted  at  our  peak,  and  when 
near  Morgan  Island  we  lowered  two  boats 
and  went  on  shore.  When  we  landed,  the  in- 
habitants, both  men  and  women,  came  down 
to  the  beach  to  receive  us.  They  brought  off 
some  20  barrels  of  oil  in  cocoanut  shells,  for 


108     KINGSMILL   GROUP:   SECOND   CRUISE. 

which  we  gave  them  in  exchange  tobacco, 
pipes,  and  small  trinkets.  We  now  took  on 
shore  casks  capable  of  holding  about  100 
barrels,  and  a  quantity  of  tobacco,  pipes,  and 
iron-hoop  trinkets,  saws,  bits,  and  the  like. 

Joseph  Warren  of  Nantucket,  the  cooper's 
mate  and  ship-keeper,  and  myself  again  went 
on  shore  at  Morgan  Island,  and  remained 
there  for  two  months.  The  ship  sailed  at 
noon  to  cruise  among  the  islands  after  whales. 
The  last  of  August  she  returned  to  see  how 
we  were  getting  on,  and  to  take  on  board  the 
oil  we  had  purchased  of  the  natives.  During 
this  time  we  had  filled  about  50  barrels, 
which  were  taken  on  board,  and  some  more 
casks  landed.  The  ship  again  sailed,  and  re- 
turned again  on  the  last  of  September.  Dur- 
ing her  absence  100  barrels  of  sperm  oil  and 
80  barrels  of  cocoanut  oil  had  been  added  to 
the  store  on  board  the  ship,  and  we  had  pur- 
chased 60  barrels  more  of  the  latter.  The 
ship  had  also  left  empty  casks  capable  of 
holding;  about  150  barrels  at  Pitt's  Island,  to 
be  filled  while  we  were  gone  to  Sydney.  The 
ship  lay  off  and  on  during  the  night  so  that 
King  Amannook  could  arrange  to  make  a  voy- 
age to  Sydney  with  us.  On  the  following 
morning   the  captain  went   on   shore,  and  at 


SUNDAY  AT  SEA.  109 

eleven  o'clock,  the  king  being  all  ready,  the 
captain  bade  the  people  good-by  and  came 
on  board.  We  now  hoisted  our  boat  and 
stood  to  the  southward. 

October  2.  We  now  made  all  sail  and  se- 
cured our  oil  casks,  and  the  watch  went  to 
supper.  At  eight  p.  m.  set  the  watches  for 
the  night.  Middle  and  latter  parts  pleasant. 
The  king  a  little  seasick.  He  thinks  that  he 
feels  better  on  shore. 

Sunday,  October  3.  A  sailor  is  literally  a 
jack-of-all-trades.  On  Sundays  the  men  in 
the  forecastle  are  at  work,  some  making  or 
mending  shoes,  some  cutting  out  clothing, 
hats,  and  caps ;  some  occupy  their  time  in 
reading,  while  others  are  learning  navigation, 
etc.  We  got  the  king  on  deck  this  afternoon, 
but  he  could  not  stand  alone,  as  he  was  not 
accustomed  to  the  rolling  of  the  ship.  The 
captain  had  Warren  measure  him  for  a  suit 
of  clothes  out  of  some  drilling,  for  he  was 
nearly  naked.  He  remained  on  deck  until 
supper-time,  and  then  went  into  the  cabin 
with  the  captain  and  officers,  and  sat  at  the 
supper-table.  He  could  not  eat  much  sup- 
per as  he  felt  a  little  homesick.  Through 
the  night  we  had  fine,  pleasant  weather.  At 
daylight  we  washed  off  the  decks  and  got  all 


110    KINGSMILL   GROUP:  SECOND   CRUISE. 

ready  to  stow  down  our  oil.  At  7.30  a.  m., 
when  the  morning  watch  was  relieved,  we  went 
to  work  breaking  out  and  stowing  down  our 
cocoanut  oil,  which  was  finished  at  eleven 
o'clock.  Saw  a  school  of  porpoises  going  to 
the  windward. 

October  12.  During  the  preceding  nine 
days  nothing  remarkable  occurred,  and  every 
advantage  of  the  winds  was  taken.  At  nine 
a.  m.  we  made  Bampton  Reef,  and  found 
a  large  ship  ashore.  We  ran  well  in  and 
lowered  a  boat  and  pulled  alongside  to  as- 
certain the  nature  of  the  wreck.  She  was 
high  on  the  reef  and  stripped  of  everything ; 
had  evidently  been  ashore  a  long  time.  We 
could  not  learn  her  name.  We  found  a  very 
large  green  turtle  swimming;  around  in  the 
ship's  between  decks ;  he  had  evidently  gone 
in  at  one  of  the  hatches  and  could  not  get  out 
again.  We  now  returned  to  the  ship,  hoisted 
our  boat,  and  continued  on  our  course.  This 
reef  is  situated  in  lat.  19°  V  S.,  long.  158° 
27'  E.  It  is  a  long  coral  reef  about  five  feet 
above  the  water,  and  is  very  dangerous  to 
navigation. 

October  13.  This  day  fine,  pleasant 
weather.  Crew  employed  in  washing  ship, 
fitting  rigging,  and  getting  ready  to  go  into 


END   OF  THE  CRUISE.  Ill 

port.  The  king  is  getting  over  his  sickness, 
so  that  he  is  able  to  be  on  deck  once  more. 

October  28.  Nothing  of  importance  has 
transpired  during  the  last  few  days.  The 
weather  continued  good  and  the  wind  fair, 
with  strong:  breezes.  We  had  fitted  and 
tarred  down  the  rigging,  scraped  all  of  our 
spars,  and  painted  the  ship  inside,  and  got 
everything  in  first-class  order. 

October  29.  We  now  find  ourselves  near- 
ing  the  coast  of  Australia,  and  the  usual 
preparations  are  being  made  for  going  into 
port,  such  as  bending  cables,  getting  anchors 
over  the  bow,  overhauling  the  chains,  etc. 
At  eleven  a.  m.  the  cry  of  "  Land  ho  !  "  was 
heard  from  the  masthead. 

October  30.  The  day  came  in  with  light 
winds  and  a  poor  prospect  of  getting  in  at 
night.  The  king  was  delighted  on  seeing 
the  land.  At  six  p.  m.  took  in  all  light  sails, 
and  laid  oft'  and  on  during  the  night.  At 
daylight  the  pilot  came  on  board,  and  at  noon 
we  came  to  anchor  in  seven  fathoms  of  water. 
Gave  out  sixty  fathoms  of  chain,  furled  all 
sails,  and  cleared  up  the  decks.  Several  boats 
came  oft'  with  merchants  and  master  me- 
chanics representing  all  kinds  of  business ; 
each  one  was  very  anxious  to  get  an  order  in 


112    KINGSMILL    GROUP:   SECOND   CRUISE. 

his  line.  As  soon  as  we  had  finished  furling 
the  sails,  the  captain  called  me  into  the  cabin 
and  told  me  that  he  wanted  me  to  take  charge 
of  the  king,  and  show  him  all  the  places  of 
interest  in  the  town. 

We  visited  all  the  places  of  interest,  and 
also  went  on  board  the  English  men-of-war, 
where  care  was  taken  to  impress  upon  his 
majesty  the  destructive  powers  of  their  guns 
and  the  fate  which  would  befall  him  and  his 
subjects  from  a  bombardment  in  case  any- 
white  men  were  murdered  on  his  island.  We 
had  the  kino-  measured  for  two  suits  of 
clothes,  which  were  made  and  brought  on 
board  in  two  or  three  days  after  our  arrival. 

Here  we  found  the  bark  Endeavor,  Captain 
Hamblin,  and  the  ship  James  Loper,  Captain 
Whippey.  After  we  had  been  in  port  about 
one  week  there  were  such  hard  stories  told 
about  Captain  Hussey  in  regard  to  the  mu- 
tiny that  he  went  on  board  the  ship  James 
Loper  and  remained  for  some  ten  days.  Dur- 
ing this  time  Captain  Hussey  had  made  ar- 
rangements with  Captain  Hamblin  of  the 
Endeavor,  who  was  about  ready  to  sail  on  a 
cruise  for  sperm  whales,  to  take  him  on  board 
and  land  him  at  Lord  Howe's  Island. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Third  Cruise  among  the  Kingsmill  Group :  Attempted 
Arrest  of  Captain  Hussey  at  Sydney  —  He  goes  to 
Lord  Howe's  Island  —  Mr.  Fisher  in  Command  of  the 
Planter  —  The  Planter  sails  for  the  Kingsmill  Group 

—  Lord  Howe's  Island  —  Captain  Hussey  returns  to 
the  Ship — A  Hard  Fight  —  Drummond  Island  — 
Woodle's  and  Hall's  Islands  —  Morgan  Island  — 
King  Amannook  at  Home  —  Captain  Handy's  Sharp 
Practice  —  We  get  our  Oil  —  Another  Bi<r  Antao-o- 
nist  —  Ocean  and  Pleasant  Islands  —  Canoes  of  the 
Drummond  Islanders  —  Wreck  of  the  Flying  Fox  — 
Pitt's  Island  —  Captain  Hussey  meets  Captain  Handy 

—  A  Sixty-Barrel  Whale  —  The  Sailor's  Saturday 
Night — A  Murder  at  Drummond  Island — More 
Whales  —  Sail  for  the  Caroline  Islands. 

Sunday  morning,  November  18,  1849. 
At  daylight  Captain  Hussey  came  on  board 
and  made  preparations  to  sail  in  the  bark  En- 
deavor, which  was  then  under  weigh,  stand- 
ing out  of  the  harbor.  The  captain's  or 
starboard  boat  was  lowered,  a  trunk  put  in, 
and  Captain  Hussey  bid  us  good -morning 
and  started  down  the  bay,  but  we  did  not 
then  know  where  he  was  going.     We  watched 


114   KIN  GSM  ILL   GROUP:    THIRD   CRUISE. 

the  bark  and  boat  until  they  were  both  out 
of  sight.  After  the  pilot  left  the  bark,  she 
hauled  aback  her  main  yard  to  allow  the  cap- 
tain to  come  alongside.  In  the  mean  time 
another  boat  pulled  up  alongside  of  Captain 
Hussey's  boat,  and  an  officer  told  the  captain 
that  he  had  a  warrant  for  his  arrest.  Captain 
Hussey  immediately  stood  up  and  took  a  pair 
of  pistols  from  his  belt  and  told  the  officer 
that  if  he  came  alongside  of  his  boat  he 
would  shoot  him.  The  officer,  thinking  that 
discretion  was  the  better  part  of  valor,  turned 
his  boat  towards  the  shore,  when  Captain 
Hussey  went  on  board  the  Endeavor  and 
sailed  for  Lord  Howe's  Island.  Our  boat  re- 
turned at  noon,  and  then  we  learned  all  the 
particulars  of  the  affair. 

While  we  were  here  we  hauled  alongside 
an  English  ship  bound  to  London,  and  put 
on  board  700  barrels  of  cocoanut  oil  which 
we  had  gathered  amongst  the  islands  in  way 
of  trade.  This  we  shipped  to  England  on 
owners'  account.  We  remained  here  seven 
weeks,  during  which  time  we  had  landed  our 
oil,  painted  the  ship  outside,  gave  the  crew 
liberty,  watered  ship,  procured  provisions,  and 
discharged  some  of  the  old  men  and  shipped 
others  in  their  places. 


LORD  HOWE'S  ISLAND.  115 

After  Captain  Hussey  left,  Mr.  Fisher,  our 
first  officer,  took  charge  of  the  ship. 

December  20.  We  got  under  weigh  this 
morning  with  a  fair  wind.  At  eight  a.  m. 
the  pilot  left  us  and  wTe  stood  to  the  east- 
ward, but  our  destination  was  known  only  to 
Captain  Fisher.  Besides  the  king,  at  Sydney 
we  took  on  board  Captain  Oliver  and  his  wife 
as  passengers.  Captain  Oliver  was  formerly 
from  New  Bedford.  He  had  commanded  a 
whaleship  from  Sydney,  but  is  now  going  to 
Lord  Howe's  Island  to  raise  cattle. 

December  25.  During  the  last  five  days 
we  had  had  uniform  strong  winds,  and  no- 
thing occurred  to  interrupt  the  usual  routine 
of  duty.  Our  mastheads  had  been  manned, 
chains  unbent  and  stowed  below,  anchors  se- 
cured on  the  bow,  and  boats  put  in  order  for 
whaling;.  At  ten  a.  m.  made  Lord  Howe's 
Island,  bearing  E.,  distance  15  miles. 

December  26.  At  one  p.  m.  close  in  with 
the  land.  Lowered  the  starboard  boat  and 
took  Captain  Oliver  and  wife  on  shore,  and 
returned  and  took  his  furniture  and  horse  on 
shore.  At  four  p.  m.  Captain  Hussey  came  on 
board.  We  were  all  very  glad  to  see  him. 
He  had  made  arrangements  for  us  to  go  on 
shore  and  dig  sweet  potatoes. 


116    KIN  GSM  ILL    GROUP:    THIRD   CRUISE. 

We  lay  off  and  on  during  the  night,  and  at 
daylight  went  on  shore  with  two  boats,  and  dug 
potatoes  for  two  days.  During  that  time  we 
dug  about  twenty-five  barrels.  After  these 
were  taken  on  board,  two  boats'  crews  were 
sent  to  a  small  island  near  by  for  eggs  and 
mutton  birds,  which  were  found  in  such  abun- 
dance that  the  boats  were  soon  loaded.  These 
birds  are  similar  to  our  wild  ducks.  They 
were  so  tame  that  we  found  great  difficulty  in 
driving  them  away.  But  the  most  delicious 
were  the  young  boobies.  These  we  split  and 
salted.  And  now,  having  potatoes,  birds,  and 
eggs,  we  fared  sumptuously.  Our  boats  were 
hoisted,  sail  was  made,  and  we  shaped  our 
course  to  the  northward. 

January  10,  1850.  During  the  preceding 
ten  days  nothing  material  occurred  except 
that  we  were  constantly  looking  for  whales. 
This  morning,  at  seven  o'clock,  however,  there 
came  the  cry  from  the  main-topgallant  mast- 
head, "  There  she  blows  !  "  "  Where  away  ?  ': 
asked  the  captain,  who  was  walking  the  quar- 
ter-deck. "  Four  points  off  the  lee  bow,  sir." 
The  captain  immediately  went  aloft  forward, 
and  said  that  it  was  a  large  sperm  whale.  We 
kept  the  ship  off,  and  called  all  hands,  and  got 
the  boats  ready  for  lowering.     Captain  Hussey 


AX  EXPERIENCE  REPEATED.  117 

ordered  the  ship  brought  to  the  wind  with  the 
main  yard  aback,  and  the  boats  to  be  cleared 
away,  which  was  done,  and  into  them  we 
jumped  and  shoved  off.  The  whale  being  to 
the  leeward,  we  set  the  sails  so  as  not  to 
frighten  him.  The  boats  moved  quickly  and 
noiselessly  to  their  destination,  and  it  seemed 
as  though  we  should  have  easy  work  in  fasten- 
ing to  the  whale,  for  he  was  very  quiet.  But 
we  were  about  to  be  favored  with  a  repetition 
of  a  former  experience.  When  Sylvia,  the 
boatsteerer,  stood  up  to  throw  his  irons,  the 
whale  either  heard  a  noise  or  saw  the  boat,  for 
he  started  to  go  down,  but  Sylvia  was  too 
quick  for  him,  and  put  both  irons  into  him. 
The  next  moment  the  sea  was  a  mass  of  foam, 
and  the  boat  was  rolling  and  pitching  in  the 
heavy  swell  which  the  whale  occasioned.  The 
creature  now  started  to  run,  and  we  gave  him 
plenty  of  line.  He  did  not  run  far,  however, 
before  he  turned  and  came  for  the  boat.  We 
pulled  hard  and  got  out  of  his  way.  He  then 
went  down,  but  soon  came  up  under  us,  and 
let  us  have  his  flukes,  staving  in  the  bow  of 
our  boat.  At  this  juncture  the  mate  arrived 
on  the  scene  and  put  a  lance  into  him,  when 
he  commenced  spouting  thick  blood.  He  soon 
went  into  his  flurry,  which  lasted   for.  some 


118    KINGSMILL   GROUP:    THIRD   CRUISE. 

minutes,  all  the  time  swimming  round  in  a 
circle  ;  then  a  thick  column  of  blood  went  up, 
and  with  one  effort  he  threw  himself  out  of 
the  water,  and,  rolling  over  on  his  side  with 
one  fin  out,  he  became  ours.  We  hauled  up 
alongside  our  prize  and  made  a  line  fast  to 
him  and  took  him  in  tow.  In  the  mean  time 
the  ship  kept  off  and  ran  down  to  us,  and 
soon  had  the  whale  into  position,  and  the 
fluke  chain  in  its  place.  We  now  got  up  our 
cutting-in  gear,  slung  our  stages  over  the  side 
for  the  mates  to  stand  on,  and  went  to  dinner. 

January  11.  At  one  p.  m.  we  commenced 
cutting-in,  taking  huge  blanket  pieces,  four 
feet  wide  and  ten  feet  long,  which  we  put  be- 
tween decks  for  future  use.  At  sundown  we 
had  the  last  blanket  piece  on  deck,  and  the 
head  and  case  secured  and  the  carcass  cut 
adrift.  We  now  commenced  boiling  out  the 
case  and  cutting  up  "  horse-pieces  "  and  min- 
cing the  blubber.  One  watch  went  to  supper 
while  the  other  was  at  work.  We  lay  by  un- 
til the  next  morning,  when  we  made  sail  and 
stood  on  our  course. 

January  12.  At  three  p.  m.  we  finished 
boiling.  This  whale  made  60  barrels  of  oil. 
We  now  went  to  work  washing  ship,  and  kept 
up  the  regular  routine  of  ship  duty.     A  sail 


AMONG   THE  ISLANDS  AGAIN.  119 

was  seen  on  our  larboard  quarter,  standing  to 
the  westward,  but  at  so  great  a  distance  that 
we  could  not  ascertain  her  character  from  the 
masthead  with  a  glass.  We  continued  our 
northerly  course  and  had  fair  winds  and  fine 
weather,  nothing  occurring  to  interrupt  the 
monotony,  except  the  excitement  produced  by 
the  anticipation  of  our  visit  to  the  islands 
again,  which  served  as  a  general  topic  of  con- 
versation in  the  forecastle. 

January  17.  At  daylight  the  wind  became 
light,  and  our  expectations  were  realized  by 
the  welcome  sound  of  "  Land  ho  ! '  The 
land  proved  to  be  Drummond  Island,  one  of 
the  Kingsmill  Group.  The  king  was  greatly 
pleased  to  know  that  he  had  got  back  to  the 
islands  again.  Several  canoes  came  off,  bring- 
ing cocoanuts,  mats,  chickens,  and  oil,  for 
which  we  gave  them  in  exchange  tobacco, 
pipes,  and  iron-hoop  trinkets. 

January  18.  At  two  p.  m.  made  "Woodle's 
Island.  Canoes  came  off  as  usual,  bringing 
oil  in  cocoanut  shells.  We  purchased  about 
25  barrels  and  landed  some  empty  casks  for 
the  white  men  to  fill  for  us ;  also  left  them 
some  articles  of  trade.  At  five  o'clock  we 
shaped  our  course  for  Hall's  Island.  We  took 
in   all   light   sails.      At    daylight   made    the 


120    KINGSMILL   GROUP:    THIRD   CRUISE. 

island,  bearing  W.  S.  W.,  distance  six  miles. 
Canoes  came  off  to  us,  with  oil  and  chickens. 
We  purchased  about  20  barrels  and  left  some 
casks  and  trade  for  the  two  white  men  who 
were  living  on  shore ;  also  left  word  that  the 
ship  would  be  back  again  in  about  one  month. 
January  21.     At   daylight  we  made  Mor- 
gan  Island,    our    king's    home.     We  ran    in 
under  the  lee  of  the  island  with  the  stars  and 
stripes  flying  from  the   mizzen  peak,  and  the 
ship  sailed   majestically  along   under  a  press 
of  canvas,  yet  she  was  so  steady  that  her  mo- 
tion could  scarcely  be  felt  on  deck.     We  soon 
had  alongside  a  large  number  of  canoes  rilled 
with    men,   women,    and   children  ;    and    the 
meeting   of    the   king  with  his  people  can  be 
better  imagined  than  described,  for  the  people 
had  begun  to  think  that  they  were  never  going 
to  see  him   again.     In   their  joy  they  hugged 
and    kissed    him,    and    also    kissed   his    feet. 
When  the  captain's  boat  was  lowered  Captain 
Hussey  and  the  king  went  on  shore  together. 
In  a  short  time  the  boat  returned  and  took 
the  king's  belongings    ashore,   among  which 
were  a  number  of  geese,  and  ducks,  and  a  large 
doo\     The  natives  brought  off  about  20  bar- 
rels  of  oil  in  shells.     At  eleven  a.  m.  Captain 
Hussey  came  on  board,   and  we    shaped  our 


SHARP  PRACTICE.  121 

course  for  Pitt's  Island.  He  told  the  kins:  to 
save  all  of  his  oil  for  us,  and  we  would  be 
back  for  it  in  the  course  of  a  month. 

January  22.  Fine,  pleasant  weather.  Crew 
employed  in  stowing  down  sperm  and  cocoa- 
nut  oil.  At  daylight  we  made  Pitt's  Island, 
bearing  S.  W.,  distance  eight  miles.  At  eight 
o'clock,  being  close  in  to  the  land,  canoes  came 
off,  bringing  cocoanut  oil,  breadfruit,  and  mats, 
George  Durant  and  Dick,  two  white  men  living 
on  the  island,  doing  the  trading  for  us. 

Before  we  left  this  island  for  Sydney,  on 
our  last  visit,  we  had  sent  on  shore  casks  capa- 
ble of  holding  150  barrels,  which  were  to  be 
filled  with  cocoanut  oil,  but  shortly  after  our 
departure  the  bark  Belle  of  Fairhaven  came 
in,  and  Captain  Handy  told  the  natives  that 
Captain  Hussey  would  be  arrested  on  our 
arrival  at  Sydney  and  sent  home,  and  that  the 
Planter  would  not  return  to  the  islands.  The 
result  was  that  the  natives  sold  all  the  oil  that 
they  then  had  on  hand  to  Captain  Handy, 
who  left  for  Sydney  in  a  hurry,  as  he  knew 
that  it  was  nearly  time  for  our  return.  He 
also  left  some  casks  to  be  filled,  and  before 
our  return  about  150  barrels  of  oil  had  been 
put  into  them.  Of  course  Captain  Hussey 
knew  nothing  about  these  doings  until  we  got 


122    KINGSMILL    GROUP:    THIRD   CRUISE. 

back  to  the  island  again,  when  he  told  the 
white  men  that  he  would  make  the  natives 
take  all  the  oil  out  of  Captain  Handy's  casks 
and  put  it  into  his  if  it  cost  him  his  life  to  do 
so,  as  we  had  a  written  contract  for  all  the  oil 
which  was  to  be  made  on  the  island  for  three 
years.  Captain  Hussey  next  ordered  all  our 
muskets  and  pistols  passed  up  on  deck,  dis- 
charged, and  reloaded.  He  then  picked  out 
twelve  good  men,  and  with  his  little  army 
went  on  shore.  They  landed  and  marched  up 
to  the  town,  which  was  about  five  miles  distant. 
On  their  arrival  at  the  king's  house,  the  king 
appeared  to  be  very  glad  to  see  them.  When 
Captain  Hussey  told  Durant  to  tell  the  king 
that  he  must  order  the  oil  taken  out  of  Captain 
Handy's  casks,  the  latter  said  that  Captain 
Handy  told  them  that  Captain  Hussey  would 
never  come  back,  and  as  the  oil  was  in  Cap- 
tain Handy's  casks  he  did  not  like  the  idea 
of  taking  it  out,  and  that  Captain  Handy 
told  the  natives  that  they  must  protect  them- 
selves in  case  we  did  come  back.  Captain 
Hussey  had  told  his  men,  when  they  were 
marching  up  to  the  town,  that  in  case  they 
had  any  fighting  to  do,  they  must  shoot 
the  king  and  Durant  first,  as  he  was  satisfied 
that  Durant  had  told  the  king  to  give  Captain 


WE   GET   THE   OIL.  123 

Handy  the  oil.  Captain  Hussey  now  told 
Durant  that  in  case  of  any  attack  from  the 
natives,  he  and  the  king  would  be  the  first  to 
fall.  So,  after  some  conversation,  the  king 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  had  better  have 
the  oil  taken  out  of  Captain  Handy's  casks 
and  put  into  ours,  which  he  promised  to  have 
done,  when  the  captain  and  his  men  re- 
turned to  the  ship,  which  they  reached  at  four 
o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  January  23.  We 
lay  off  and  on  during  the  night,  and  the  next 
morning  at  daylight  the  captain  and  his  men 
again  went  on  shore,  and  the  king  had  the 
oil  put  into  our  casks.  While  this  was  being 
done,  our  men  kept  a  good  lookout  both  for 
the  king  and  George  Durant,  as  well  as  for  the 
natives,  as  they  feared  an  attack. 

January  24.  At  one  p.  m.  we  went  on 
shore,  and  by  four  p.  m.  we  had  all  the  oil 
shifted  into  our  casks  and  rafted  and  taken  on 
board.  We  lay  off  and  on  during  the  night, 
and  at  daybreak  landed  a  number  of  empty 
casks.  At  noon  Captain  Hussey  came  on 
board,  and  we  stood  to  the  northwest  in  search 
of  sperm  whales. 

January  25.  The  day  commenced  with  fine, 
pleasant  weather.  At  two  p.  M.  we  were  em- 
ployed in  stowing  down  our  oil.  At  six  o'clock 
we  finished,  and  washed  down  the  decks. 


124    KINGSMILL   GROUP:    THIRD   CRUISE. 

A  week  passed  on ;  we  were  steering  a  W. 
S.  W.  course  with  light  winds,  making  slow 
progress.  Men  were  stationed  aloft  to  look 
for  whales,  as  we  were  on  good  whaling  ground, 
between  the  King-smill  and  Ocean  and  Pleas- 
ant  Islands,  but  we  saw  nothing  until  on  the 
morning  of  February  1,  when  the  boatsteerer, 
who  was  at  the  main-topgallant  cross-trees, 
where  he  could  command  a  full  view  of  the 
horizon,  shouted  that  there  were  a  school  of 
whales  ahead.  We  soon  ascertained,  however, 
that  what  had  been  seen  was  a  school  of  black- 
fish.  Captain  Hussey  ordered  the  men  to  get 
their  boats  ready  for  lowering.  We  kept  the 
ship  off  towards  the  fish,  which  were  some  two 
miles  distant,  but  as  the  wind  was  light  the 
captain  ordered  the  boats  to  lower  away,  and 
down  they  went,  and  into  them  we  tumbled. 
We  set  our  sails  and  took  our  paddles,  so  as 
not  to  frighten  the  fish.  We  soon  came  up 
to  where  they  were  lying  on  the  water.  I  could 
hear  them  blow  as  the  captain  told  the  boat- 
steerer to  stand  up.  The  boatsteerer  soon  put 
his  irons  into  the  largest  one.  As  the  captain 
gave  his  hurried  orders  and  warnings,  I 
ventured  to  look  over  my  shoulder,  and  as  I 
did  so  a  shower  of  water  was  poured  upon  us, 
and  in  an  instant  alongside  of  the  boat  was 


OCEAN  ISLAND.  125 

the  blackfish,  rolling  over  and  over.  We 
quickly  pulled  clear  of  him.  Just  as  the  cap- 
tain got  out  his  lance,  our  fish  started  for  the 
school,  and  carried  us  along  at  a  rapid  rate. 
Suddenly  he  stopped,  rolled  over  once  or  twice, 
then  spouted  thick  blood,  and  rolled  over  on 
his  back,  dead.  We  took  him  in  tow  and 
started  for  the  ship.  In  the  mean  time  all  the 
other  boats  had  got  fast.  We  arrived  on  board, 
and  hoisted  in  the  fish.  As  a  result  of  this 
chase  we  secured  four  fish,  from  which  we  got 
five  barrels  of  oil.  This  oil  is  not  equal  to 
sperm,  but  is  superior  to  right  whale  oil,  and 
brings  a  higher  price. 

We  continued  our  course  until  the  morning 
of  February  6,  when  we  made  Ocean  Island, 
bearing  W.  S.  W.,  distance  fifteen  miles.  At 
eight  a.  m.  we  stood  in  shore ;  many  canoes 
came  off,  filled  with  natives,  bringing  pump- 
kins, hogs,  and  chickens,  all  of  which  are 
abundant  in  these  islands.  I  have  seen  a  hog 
weighing  a  hundred  pounds  purchased  for  a 
piece  of  calico  not  more  than  two  yards  long. 
We  now  shaped  our  course  for  Pleasant 
Island. 

February  8.  At  daylight  made  Pleasant 
Island,  bearing  W.  by  S.,  distance  eight  miles. 
Several  canoes  came  off  with  ducks,  chickens, 


126    KINGSMILL   GROUP:    THIRD   CRUISE. 

and  fruit.  We  now  shaped  our  course  to  the 
northeast  in  search  of  whales.  This  day  the 
wind  was  to  the  eastward,  with  rain-squalls. 

February  14.  During  the  preceding  six 
days  nothing  remarkable  occurred,  and  every 
advantage  of  the  change  of  wind  was  taken. 
We  found  ourselves  by  observation  in  lat.  5° 
12'  N.,  long.  178°  20'  E.  Stood  in  and  made 
Drummond  Island,  bearing  W.  S.  W.,  dis- 
tance eight  miles.  On  approaching  the  island 
a  number  of  canoes  came  off  to  us.  These 
canoes  were  lightly  constructed,  and  as  re- 
gards speed,  nothing  that  floats,  of  the  same 
size,  could  excel  them.  Each  of  the  canoes 
had  an  outrigger  to  prevent  capsizing.  With 
the  exception  of  the  king  and  chiefs,  the 
natives  were  nearly  naked,  having  nothing 
about  them  except  what  they  termed  a  tappa, 
which  is  a  piece  of  cloth  made  of  grass,  thrown 
around  their  loins.  The  canoes  brought  us 
chickens  and  cocoanut  oil,  which  we  pur- 
chased. We  also  bought  some  200  cats  and 
took  them  down  to  the  leeward  islands  and 
sold  them  for  oil.  At  four  p.  m.  we  shaped 
our  course  for  Sydenham  Island. 

February  15.  We  took  in  all  light  sails 
and  ran  down  under  topsails.  At  daylight  we 
were  close  in  with  the. land,  when  we  discov- 


CANOE   AND    OUTRIGGER    OF   THE    KINGSMILL    ISLANDERS 


WRECK   OF   THE   FLYIXG   FOX.  127 

ered  a  whaleship  on  a  reef  on  the  northwest 
part  of  the  island.  Captain  Hussey  ordered 
his  boat  lowered,  and  went  alongside  of  her. 
He  found  her  to  be  the  Flying  Fox  of  Hobart 
Town,  Van  Dieman's  Land,  high  and  dry  upon 
the  coral  reef.  When  the  captain  went  on 
board,  the  decks  were  full  of  natives,  who  left 
immediately.  They  had  stolen  a  great  many 
small  articles  from  her.  The  captain  returned 
and  got  a  kedge  anchor  and  another  boat  and 
crew  and  then  went  back  to  her  and  had  the 
anchor  run  out  astern.  At  dark  three  boats' 
crews  went  to  her  and  at  hiffh  water  hove  her 
off,  when  we  took  her  in  tow.  We  towed  her 
through  the  night  and  at  daylight  let  her  go. 
Captain  Hussey  thought,  when  he  got  her  off, 
that  he  would  put  some  men  on  board  of  her 
and  have  her  taken  to  Sydney ;  but  as  her 
decks  had  been  cut  out  by  the  natives,  he 
concluded  to  set  her  adrift.  We  purchased  a 
great  many  articles  from  the  natives. 

After  leaving  the  bark  we  shaped  our 
course  for  Woodle's  Island  and  arrived  there 
on  the  morning  of  the  17th.  As  we  ap- 
proached the  land  a  number  of  canoes  came 
off  to  meet  us.  We  were  also  visited  by  our 
old  friend  Walker  and  by  Captain  Brown,  the 
master  of  the  wrecked  bark.     The  latter  told 


128     KINGSMILL    GROUP:    THIRD   CRUISE. 

us  that  he  ran  on  the  reef  during  the  night, 
and  at  daybreak  the  natives  came  in  their 
canoes  and  drove  the  ship's  company  away 
from  the  vessel.  So  he  took  his  wife  and  what 
articles  could  be  saved  from  the  wreck  into 
the  boats  and  made  for  Woodle's  Island, 
where  they  landed.  He  made  arrangements 
to  take  passage  in  our  ship,  after  which  Cap- 
tain Hussey  accompanied  him  ashore.  In  the 
mean  time  we  purchased  about  25  barrels  of 
cocoanut  oil.  At  noon  Captain  Hussey  and 
Captain  and  Mrs.  Brown  came  on  board, 
bringing  with  them  what  they  had  saved  from 
the  wreck.  We  shipped  one  of  his  men  and 
bought  a  six-oared  whaleboat  of  him.  We 
now  shaped  our  course  for  Hall's  Island, 
arriving-  there  the  following'  morning.  Here 
we  took  on  board  about  50  barrels  of  cocoa- 
nut  oil,  also  chickens,  mats,  and  cocoanuts. 

February  18.  At  daylight  saw  Pitt's 
Island,  bearing  W.  N.  W.  We  stood  close  in 
to  the  -land,  and  lowered  two  boats.  One 
boat's  crew  was  sent  on  shore  with  a  raft  of 
empty  casks,  to  procure  water,  and  another  to 
get  wood ;  this  duty  was  performed  with  but 
little  difficulty,  the  king  ordering  the  natives 
to  fill  our  casks  and  roll  them  down  to  the 
beach.     They  cut  and  piled  large  quantities  of 


CAPTAIN  II ANDY'S  RECEPTION.        129 

wood  near  to  the  landing ;  consequently  the 
wooding  and  watering  were  soon  completed. 
The  natives  also  filled  about  75  barrels  of 
cocoanut  oil  for  us.  We  took  it  on  board,  and 
in  return  gave  them  all  our  cats,  some  200  in 
number.  As  we  were  about  ready  to  leave, 
the  bark  Belle  of  Fairhaven,  Captain  Handy, 
came  around  the  lee  side  of  the  island,  so 
Captain  Hussey  went  on  shore  to  meet  him. 
It  was  not  long  before  Captain  Handy  landed 
on  the  beach,  where  he  received  a  warm  recep- 
tion from  our  captain,  and  soon  I  began  to 
think  that  there  would  be  a  fio-ht  before  we 
left  the  island.  At  four  p.  m.  the  boats  re- 
turned, and  as  we  had  now  no  further  busi- 
ness to  transact  at  these  islands  at  present  we 
stood  to  the  northward  in  search  of  whales. 

February  28.  During  the  preceding  ten 
days  nothing  transpired  of  importance  to  in- 
terrupt the  usual  monotony  resulting  from  a 
long  spell  of  fair  winds  and  good  weather. 
But  about  ten  o'clock  this  morning  the  cry 
was  heard,  "  There  she  blows  !  '  "  Where 
away  ?  "  inquired  the  captain.  "  Three  points 
off  the  lee  bow,  sir."  It  was  a  school  of  sperm 
whales.  In  a  short  time  the  necessary  ma- 
noeuvres were  made  and  the  ship  came  to  the 
wind.     The    boats    were    now  ordered    to  be 


130     KINGSMILL   GROUP:    THIRD   CRUISE. 

cleared  away,  the  tubs  were  placed  in  the 
boats,  and  they  were  lowered.  In  we  tumbled 
and  shoved  off  ;  and  as  the  whales  were  to  the 
leeward,  we  set  our  sails  and  took  our  pad- 
dles. Just  as  we  reached  the  whales  they 
went  down.  For  fifteen  minutes  we  waited 
for  them  to  show  themselves.  At  last  they 
came  to  the  surface  and  once  more  we  were 
among  them.  "  Stand  up  !  '  cried  the  cap- 
tain. "  Now  is  your  time.  Give  it  to  him  ! ': 
and  away  went  both  irons  into  the  whale. 
The  order,  "  Stern  all,"  followed  none  too 
quickly,  for  the  next  moment  the  boat  was 
nearly  filled  with  water.  We  went  to  work 
bailing  water  with  our  hats  and  buckets,  the 
whale,  in  the  mean  time,  sometimes  standing 
on  his  head,  and  sometimes  on  his  tail.  We 
soon  had  the  water  bailed  out ;  then  we 
pulled  up  until  we  were  able  to  get  a  lance 
into  him.  By  this  time  the  mate  had  come 
up  and  let  fly  his  lance  also,  and  the  sharp 
weapon  entered  the  creature's  side.  "  Stern 
all !  "  he  shouted,  and  in  an  instant  the  boat 
was  some  little  distance  from  the  whale,  which 
breached  high  into  the  air  and  then  sounded 
for  some  fifteen  minutes.  When  he  came  up 
he  was  spouting  thick  blood.  He  soon  com- 
menced swimming  around  in  circles.     "  He  is 


A   SIXTY-BARREL   WHALE.  131 

going  into  his  flurry,"  said  the  captain. 
Around  in  circles  the  whale  went,  until  a 
circle  could  no  longer  be  formed,  when  with 
one  mighty  effort  he  threw  himself  out  of  the 
water,  rolled  over  two  or  three  times,  and  then 
remained  on  his  side,  motionless,  with  one  fin 
out.  He  was  dead.  In  the  mean  time  the 
second  mate  and  ship-keeper  were  in  pursuit 
of  the  whales.  We  now  had  our  whale  in 
tow.  The  ship  kept  off  and  ran  down  to  us, 
when  wre  took  him  alongside,  placed  the  fluke 
chain  on  him,  got  up  our  cutting-in  gear,  and 
slims:  the  stages  for  the  mates  to  stand  on. 
By  this  time  the  other  boats  had  given  up  the 
chase,  as  the  whales  were  going  to  the  wind- 
ward, and  came  alongside.  We  hoisted  the 
boats  and  then  wTent  to  dinner.  At  one  p.  m. 
we  began  cutting  in  ;  we  filled  our  blubber 
room  and  put  the  remainder  on  the  decks.  By 
sundown  the  last  blanket  piece  was  on  deck, 
the  head  and  case  were  secured,  and  the  car- 
cass cut  adrift.  This  whale  made  60  barrels 
of  oil. 

March  5.  During  the  preceding  days  the 
wind  was  light  from  the  westward.  On  Sat- 
urday the  2d  in st.  we  saw  a  large  school  of 
porpoises  and  succeeded  in  striking  two  of 
them.     Saturday  is  a  day  above  all  others  to 


132    KINGSMILL   GROUP:    THIRD   CRUISE. 

the  close  of  which  sailors  look  forward  with 
great  pleasure ;  for  on  this  day  the  work  gen- 
erally ends  at  a  much  earlier  hour  than  usual. 
The  closing  hour  of  this  day  is  a  time  in  which 
fond  remembrances  of  home  are  called  up, 
long  yarns  are  spun  and  lengthened,  and  the 
hardships  and  privations  of  the  seaman's  life 
are  forgotten.  We  now  tacked  ship  and  stood 
towards  the  line. 

March  6.     This  day,  at  noon,  our  latitude 
was  6°  10'  N.,  longitude  179°  30'  E. 

From  our  observations  a  course  was  shaped 
to  make  the  Kingsmill  Group.  As  we  were 
drawing  towards  them,  the  trade  winds  were 
occasionally  interrupted  by  squalls,  with  heavy 
showers.  Day  after  day  passed,  with  light 
winds  though  fair,  until  on  the  morning  of 
the  9th,  when  the  cheering  and  exciting  cry 
of  "  Land  ho  !  '  came  from  the  masthead. 
The  land  proved  to  be  Drummond  Island.  At 
three  p.  m.  canoes  came  off,  bringing  chick- 
ens, cocoanuts,  and  mats,  for  which  we  gave 
the  natives  in  exchange  tobacco,  pipes,  and 
small  trinkets.  We  also  purchased  about  20 
barrels  of  cocoanut  oil.  Shaping  our  course 
for  Sydenham  Island,  we  arrived  there  on  the 
morning  of  the  10th.  The  natives  came  off  as 
usual,  bringing  mats,  cocoanut  oil,  and  chick- 


RETALIATION.  133 

ens.  We  purchased  about  15  barrels  of  oil 
and  some  small  articles  that  had  been  taken 
from  the  wreck  of  the  bark  Flying  Fox.  We 
next  shaped  our  course  for  Woodle's  Island, 
where  we  arrived  on  the  morning  of  the  12th. 
Here  we  were  told  that  our  old  acquaintance, 
Walker,  and  another  white  man  who  was  liv- 
ing on  the  island  with  him,  had  been  killed. 
According  to  one  of  the  natives,  the  latter, 
who  had  left  a  whaleship,  got  on  a  drunk  and 
killed  a  chief's  son,  and  the  result  was  that 
the  natives  in  retaliation  murdered  both  of 
the  white  men.  We  purchased  about  40  bar- 
rels of  cocoanut  oil  from  the  natives,  and  at 
three  p.  m.  took  our  departure  and  stood  to 
the  northward  in  search  of  sperm  whales. 

March  26.  During  the  preceding  fifteen 
days  nothing  unusual  happened.  We  were 
favored  with  a  succession  of  fair  winds  and 
fine  weather.  Had  seen  sperm  whales  going 
to  the  windward,  but  too  far  off  to  lower  for 
them.  At  noon  to-day  we  find  ourselves  in 
lat.  6°  30°  N.,  long.  178°  40'  E.  The  wind 
hauled  to  the  westward,  with  clear  weather. 
All  drawing  sail  set. 

We  continued  to  the  northward  until  the 
morning  of  April  5.  At  daylight  that  day 
we  raised  a  school  of  sperm  whales  ;  lowered 


134    KIN  GSM  ILL    GROUP:    THIRD   CRUISE. 

and  took  two,  which  made  50  barrels  of  oil. 
We  now  bore  away  for  Ocean  and  Pleasant 
Islands,  arriving  at  Ocean  Island  on  the 
15th,  when  a  number  of  canoes  came  off  with 
hogs,  chickens,  ducks,  cocoanuts,  and  mats. 
We  reached  Pleasant  Island  on  the  17th,  and 
received  the  usual  visit  from  the  natives,  who 
brought  us  pumpkins,  ducks,  and  fruit. 

We  now  cruised  to  the  westward  of  the 
Mulgrave  Islands  until  May  10.  At  daylight 
of  this  day  we  made  Drummond  Island,  bear- 
ing W.  S.  W.,  distance  eight  miles.  At  eight 
a.  m.  rounded  the  westernmost  point.  At 
this  island  we  procured  chickens,  mats,  and 
cocoanut  oil,  and  then  sailed  for  Woodle's 
Island,  where  we  arrived  on  the  morning  of 
the  12th.  We  came  to  anchor  in  seven  fath- 
oms of  water,  about  half  a  mile  from  the 
island.  Captain  Hussey  went  on  shore  with 
his  boat's  crew  and  sent  the  natives  off  with 
all  the  oil  they  had  on  hand.  After  remain- 
ing here  two  days,  we  got  under  weigh  and 
stood  over  to  Hall's  Island,  and  sent  a  boat 
on  shore  to  bring:  what  oil  the  white  men  had 
got  together  for  us.  The  boat  returned  with 
six  large  casks  containing  about  36  barrels. 
We  took  them  on  board  and  left  for  Pitt's 
Island,  arriving  there  on  the  15th.     The  ship 


GOOD-BY  VISITS.  135 

laid  off  and  on  during  the  day,  while  Captain 
Hussey  went  on  shore  with  two  boats  and  sent 
off  eight  casks  of  cocoanut  oil, — about  45 
barrels,  —  also  some  cocoanuts  and  molasses. 
Some  empty  casks  were  landed  to  be  filled 
with  oil,  and  then  we  sailed  for  the  Solomon 
Islands.  We  cruised  around  these  islands  for 
three  months  without  seeing  the  spout  of  a 
whale,  at  the  end  of  which  time  our  course 
was  shaped  for  the  Mulgrave  Islands,  where 
we  arrived  August  15,  and  were  visited  by 
canoes  which  brought  us  fruit  and  chickens. 
After  cruising  among;  these  islands  about  two 
weeks  we  raised  a  school  of  sperm  whales  and 
took  three,  which  made  75  barrels  of  oil. 

We  now  stood  to  the  southward,  and  on 
the  morning  of  the  21st  made  Drummond 
Island,  bearing  W.  S.  W.,  distance  five  miles. 
Canoes  came  off  with  oil,  cocoanuts,  chickens, 
and  mats.  Our  next  port  was  Sydenham  Is- 
land, where  the  natives  came  off  with  oil, 
chickens,  mats,  and  cats.  From  Sydenham 
we  sailed  for  Woodle's  Island,  where  we  ar- 
rived on  the  23d,  and  sent  a  boat  on  shore, 
which  brought  a  raft  of  cocoanut  oil  to  the 
ship.  At  Hall's  Island,  our  next  stopping- 
place,  we  got  four  casks  of  cocoanut  oil,  and 
left  for  Morgan  Island. 


13G    KIN  GSM  ILL   GROUP:    THIRD   CRUISE. 

On  the  28th  of  August,  at  six  a.  m.,  we 
made  Morgan  Island,  bearing  S.  S.  W.,  dis- 
tance seven  miles.  It  was  not  long  before  we 
had  the  canoes  alongside.  The  natives  were 
delighted  to  see  us  again.  We  stood  close  in 
and  lowered  two  boats  and  went  on  shore. 
About  60  barrels  had  been  filled  with  cocoa- 
nut  oil  for  us  ;  this  we  took  on  board,  as  well 
as  a  lot  of  cocoanuts  for  our  hogs,  when  we 
bade  the  people  good-by,  and  sailed  to  the 
northward. 

During  the  next  two  months  nothing  trans- 
pired worthy  of  note,  except  that  we  had 
taken  two  small  sperm  whales  which  made  50 
barrels  of  oil.  We  now  stood  to  the  south- 
ward again,  and  on  the  morning  of  November 
1  made  Drummond  Island  once  more.  Here 
we  purchased  all  the  oil  the  natives  brought 
off,  and  sailed  for  Sydenham  Island,  where 
we  arrived  at  six  p.  m.  Canoes  came  off 
with  oil,  mats,  chickens,  and  cocoanuts.  From 
this  island  we  went  to  Woodle's  Island  and 
took  on  board  all  our  oil  and  empty  casks,  as 
the  season  was  about  over,  and  sailed  for 
Hall's  Island,  where  we  arrived  on  the  4th. 
Captain  Hussey  went  on  shore  and  sent  on 
board  all  our  casks,  full  and  empty,  when  we 
sailed  for  Pitt's  Island,  arriving  there  on  the 


WE   SAIL   FOR   STRONG'S  ISLAND.      137 

6th.  We  laid  off  and  on  and  sent  tAvo  boats 
on  shore  for  our  casks.  After  these  came  on 
board  we  left  for  Morgan  Island,  which  we 
reached  on  the  9th.  Captain  Hussey  went 
on  shore  and  sent  our  casks  on  board ;  and 
after  remaining  here  all  day  we  sailed  for 
Strong's  Island,  one  of  the  Caroline  Islands. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Homeward  Bound  :  Strong's  Island  —  The  Caroline  Is- 
lands —  Captain  Hussey  leaves  the  Planter  —  Going 
Home  —  Juan  Fernandez  —  Round  the  Cape  —  Per- 
nambuco —  On  Shore  —  Yellow  Fever  —  A  Serious 
Mishap  —  Leave  Pernambuco  —  Block  Island  —  The 
Planter  arrives  at  Nantucket  —  Meetings  with 
Friends  —  Mates  of  the  Planter  arrested  for  Murder 
—  Crew  detained  as  Witnesses  —  Mates  Acquitted  — 
Captain  Hussey 's  Case  before  the  Grand  Jury  —  "  No 
Bill "  Found. 

November  15,  1850.  This  morning  saw 
Strong's  Island,  bearing  W.  N.  W.,  distance 
fifteen  miles.  All  hands  were  set  at  work 
getting  up  chains  and  bending  them  and  get- 
ting anchors  off  the  bows,  and  every  prepara- 
tion was  made  to  come  to  anchor.  At  ten 
a.  m.  canoes  came  off,  bringing  some  of  the 
chiefs.  At  eleven  a.  m.  we  came  to  anchor 
in  six  fathoms  of  water ;  furled  sails  and 
cleared  up  the  decks.  Captain  Hussey  went 
on  shore.  At  noon  he  returned,  when  all 
hands  went  to  dinner.  This  island  is  situated 
in  lat.  5°  12'  N.,  long.  162°  58'  E. 


STRONG'S  ISLAND.  139 

The  Caroline  Islands  are  a  chain  of  islands 
in  the  North  Pacific  Ocean,  discovered  by  the 
Spaniards  in  1686,  in  the  reign  of  Charles  II. 
They  lie  to  the  east  of  the  Philippines,  be- 
tween 138°  and  162°  E.,  and  from  5°  to  11° 
north  latitude.  They  are  about  thirty  in 
number,  and  populous  ;  the  natives  resembling 
those  of  the  Philippine  Islands.  The  most 
considerable  is  Hogolen,  about  90  miles  long 
and  40  broad  ;  the  next  is  Yap,  at  the  west- 
ern extremity  of  this  chain,  but  it  is  not  more 
than  a  third  as  large  as  the  island  first  named. 
The  islands  have  been  but  little  visited  by 
recent  navigators. 

We  remained  at  Strong's  Island  three 
weeks,  during  which  time  the  crew  were  com- 
pletely recruited,  watering  and  wooding  were 
finished,  and  a  large  quantity  of  fruit,  as  well 
as  taro  root,  was  laid  in.  The  object  of  our 
visit  to  this  island  being  completed,  we  dis- 
tributed many  little  presents  to  the  king  and 
chiefs  and  bade  them  adieu  ;  then  at  five 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  December  6  we 
weighed  anchor,  made  all  sail,  with  a  fine 
land  breeze,  and  a  couple  of  hours  later  wire 
clear  of  the  reef.  We  shipped  two  seamen 
here  who  had  left  the  ship  Emily  Morgan  of 
New  Bedford,  Captain  Ewer. 


140  HOMEWARD  BOUND. 

We  continued  our  course  to  the  southward 
until  December  10,  when  we  spoke  the  ship 
Emily  Morgan.  Captain  Hussey  went  on 
board  of  her  to  see  Captain  Ewer,  who  was 
an  intimate  friend  of  his,  and  who  advised 
him  to  send*  the  Planter  home  in  charge  of 
the  mate,  Mr.  Fisher.  After  Captain  Hussey 
returned  to  our  ship  he  had  some  conversa- 
tion with  Mr.  Fisher,  and  it  was  finally  de- 
cided to  return  to  Strong's  Island.  We 
now  tacked  ship  and  stood  to  the  northward, 
and  on  the  morning  of  the  16th  of  December 
hove  in  siefht  of  the  eastern  end  of  the  is- 
land.  At  ten  a.  m.,  being  close  in  to  land, 
Captain  Hussey  took  his  boat  and  went  on 
shore  to  make  arrangements  with  the  king  to 
stay  on  the  island  until  I  could  go  home  and 
return  with  Mrs.  Hussey,  who  was  my  aunt. 
In  the  mean  time  the  crew  were  getting  ready 
to  land  Captain  Hussey's  goods.  At  eleven 
o'clock  the  captain  returned  to  the  ship,  and 
then  we  loaded  two  boats  with  his  goods 
and  sent  them  on  shore.  When  the  boats 
returned  we  loaded  them  again,  this  time 
with  Captain  Brown's  goods,  and  these  were 
also  landed  safely.  Once  more  the  boats 
went  to  the  shore,  taking  the  balance  of  the 
goods,  and  also  Captain  Hussey  and  Captain 


.4    LEAKY   SHIP.  141 

Brown  and  wife,  who  bid  ns  all  an  affection- 
ate farewell.  Captain  Brown  and  wife  were 
to  remain  until  they  could  get  a  passage  for 
Sydney. 

At  five  p.  m.  the  boats  returned  for  the 
last  time,  and  we  tacked  ship  to  the  south- 
ward. At  sunset  the  land  was  in  the  dis- 
tance, and  once  more  we  were  sailing  merrily 
over  the  ocean,  homeward  bound.  At  eight 
p.  m.  we  sounded  the  pumps  and  found  con- 
siderable water  in  them,  so  we  rigged  the 
pumps  and  pumped  it  out.  We  now  set  the 
watches  for  the  night.  At  twelve  meridian 
the  pumps  were  sounded  again,  and  the  ship 
was  found  to  be  making  some  water :  so  we 
continued  to  pump  ship  every  four  hours. 
We  had  now  been  out  upwards  of  three  years 
and  a  half,  and  our  hearts  were  light  as  we 
thought  that  every  hour  was  carrying  us 
nearer  to  the  land  of  our  birth.  We  con- 
tinued on  our  southerly  course,  taking  every 
advantage  of  the  winds,  and  making  easting 
whenever  there  was  an  opportunity.  At 
seven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  10th 
of  March,  1851,  land  was  raised  from  the 
masthead,  bearing  E.  N.  E.,  distance  fifteen 
miles ;  it  proved  to  be,  as  was  expected,  the 
island  of    Juan   Fernandez.     When  we   left 


142  HOMEWARD  BOUND. 

Strong's  Island  it  was  Captain  Fisher's  inten- 
tion to  go  into  Talcahuana  and  give  liberty 
and  recruit  ship,  but  owing  to  the  ship's  leak- 
ing so  badly,  he  concluded  to  stop  at  Juan 
Fernandez  and  get  wood,  water,  and  what 
small  stores  he  could  purchase,  and  then 
double  Cape  Horn  and  make  for  Pernambuco. 
We  stood  in  to  the  bay  and  lowered  two 
boats  and  took  a  raft  of  empty  water  casks 
on  shore  and  filled  them.  When  these  were 
hoisted  in,  the  boats  returned,  and  brought 
off  twenty  bushels  of  fine  peaches,  some  lima 
beans,  and  wood. 

In  1766  the  Spaniards  made  a  settlement  on 
the  north  and  highest  part  of  this  island,  at 
Cumberland  Bay,  which  is  defended  by  bat- 
teries. The  town  is  situated  in  a  beautiful 
valley,  between  two  high  hills,  and  every 
house  has  a  garden  with  arbors  covered  with 
vines. 

JSlarcli  11.  This  day  fine,  pleasant  weather. 
At  four  p.  m.  the  captain  came  on  board,  and 
we  hoisted  our  boats  and  secured  everything 
for  the  night.  I  never  in  my  life  felt  so 
much  gratification  on  leaving  any  port  as  I 
did  on  this  occasion  ;  and  this  feeling  ap- 
peared to  l>e  general  among  the  men. 

We  had  very  light  but  fair  winds,  conse- 


ON   THE  ATLANTIC.  143 

quently  we  had  a  long  run  to  Cape  Horn. 
On  the  morning  of  the  24th  the  wind  hauled 
to  the  southwest  and  increased  to  a  gale,  with 
violent  hail-squalls.  Took  in  all  light  sails. 
At  ten  A.  M.  saw  Staten  Island,  bearing  N.  W., 
distance  twenty  miles.  We  reefed  our  top- 
sails and  furled  the  mainsail.  We  now  shaped 
our  course  so  as  to  pass  to  the  eastward  of  the 
Falkland  Islands,  the  rain  and  hail  pouring 
upon  us  in  torrents. 

March  25.  The  day  commenced  with 
a  strong  southwest  gale.  At  eight  p.  m.  the 
gale  became  steady ;  during  the  night  it 
moderated,  when  we  set  the  topsails  and 
mainsail.  At  four  a.  m.  set  topgallant  sails. 
We  had  an  observation  at  noon,  and  found 
ourselves  in  lat.  53°  20'  S.,  long.  61°  15'  W. 

April  30.  Most  of  the  time  during  the 
past  thirty-five  days  we  have  had  moder- 
ate winds,  and  nothing  has  occurred  to  in- 
terrupt the  usual  routine  of  duty  and  the 
monotony  of  a  sea  life.  We  passed  several 
vessels  bound  to  the  southward,  and  also  saw 
some  that  were  homeward  bound.  We  hauled 
up  our  chains  and  bent  them,  and  got  our 
anchors  off  the  bows.  At  ten  A.  M.  made 
Pernambuco,  bearing  N.  N.  W.,  distance 
eight  miles.    At  eleven  o'clock  came  to  anchor 


144  HOMEWARD  BOUND. 

iii  seven  fathoms  of  water,  outside  of  the 
breakwater.  Captain  Fisher  went  on  shore 
to  purchase  some  provisions.  When  we  went 
into  the  shipchandler's  office  he  told  us  to  be 
very  careful  about  eating  fruit  and  drinking 
liquor,  as  people  were  dying  at  the  rate  of  six 
hundred  a  day  with  yellow  fever  and  black 
vomit.  We  purchased  five  hundred  dollars' 
worth  of  provisions  and  started  off,  as  Cap- 
tain Fisher  was  afraid  to  remain  on  shore.  A 
lighter  loaded  with  our  purchases  came  off  to 
us,  but  she  got  into  the  breakers  and  capsized, 
so  we  lost  everything.  The  next  morning, 
May  1,  Captain  Fisher  was  obliged  to  go  on 
shore  and  duplicate  the  order.  While  our 
men  were  on  shore,  two  of  them  were  taken 
with  the  black  vomit,  and  had  to  be  sent  to 
the  hospital,  where  they  both  died.  At  noon 
the  lighter  came  alongside  with  provisions 
and  fruit.  After  unloading  her  we  went  to 
dinner.  At  one  p.  m.  we  stowed  the  provi- 
sions below,  and  then  had  nothing  more  to 
detain  us  except  the  non-appearance  of  Cap- 
tain Fisher,  who  was  still  ashore.  At  five 
p.m.  the  captain  returned  ;  then  the  boat  was 
hoisted,  and  all  hands  went  to  supper.  We 
found  vessels  of  almost  all  nations  lying  here, 
waitings  for  cargoes.     Some  of  them  had  lost 


BAD  PROVISIONS.  145 

their  entire  crews  with  yellow  fever  and  black 
vomit.  At  ten  o'clock  we  got  under  weigh 
with  a  fine  breeze  from  the  land  ;  made  all 
sail  and  stood  to  the  northwest. 

Before  going  into  Pernambuco  our  pro- 
visions were  very  short  and  also  exceedingly 
poor.  What  little  bread  there  was  on  hand 
was  so  badly  eaten  by  worms  and  weevils 
that  a  small  tap  on  a  biscuit  would  reduce  it 
nearly  to  a  powder.  The  only  way,  there- 
fore, in  which  it  could  be  eaten  was  to  sepa- 
rate the  bread  from  the  vermin  and  put  it 
into  our  tea  or  coffee.  We  also  had  this 
bread  burnt  and  made  into  coffee  and  pud- 
ding. To  add  to  our  discomfort,  the  ship 
had  leaked  at  the  rate  of  a  thousand  strokes 
per  hour  ever  since  we  left  Strong's  Island. 
Also  we  had  been  a  lono-  time  confined  to  the 
narrow  compass  of  our  ship,  and  the  passage 
had  been  protracted  greatly  beyond  our  cal- 
culations. These  things  were  not  only  the 
cause  of  some  ill-humor,  but  they  actually 
produced  much  debility  among  the  crew. 
Therefore,  every  mile  we  made  to  the  north- 
west was  a  source  of  gratification,  because  it 
brought  our  privations  so  much  nearer  to  a 
termination.  The  crew  were  variously  em- 
ployed in  getting  the  ship  in  order  while  run- 


146  HOMEWARD   BOUND. 

ning  down  these  trades,  but  from  Pernambuco 
home  we  lived  well,  having  got  a  good  sup- 
ply of  provisions  at  that  port.  Large  quan- 
tities of  grass  and  weeds  were  now  seen 
floating  by  us,  every  spear  and  bit  of  which 
were,  to  me  especially,  strong  indications  that 
this  long  voyage  would  shortly  come  to  an 
end.  Indeed,  I  almost  fancied  myself  at 
home,  though  still  many  hundreds  of  miles 
distant  from  Nantucket.  After  leaving  Per- 
nambuco we  had  very  moderate  winds.  As 
usual  in  a  long  course  of  fair  winds  and 
pleasant  weather,  nothing  occurred  to  inter- 
rupt the  monotony  except  the  excitement  pro- 
duced by  the  anticipation  of  our  seeing  our 
dear  friends  once  more,  which  served  as  a 
general  topic  of  conversation  in  the  forecas- 
tle and  amongst  the  officers.  Day  after  day 
passed  by.  At  last,  on  the  morning  of  July 
11,  the  cheering  and  exciting  cry  of  "  Land 
ho  !  "  was  heard  from  the  masthead.  It  proved 
to  be  Block  Island,  which  was  soon  visible 
to  all  on  board.  At  ten  a.  m.,  when*  about  ten 
miles  to  the  westward  of  Gay  Head,  we  took 
a  pilot.  Chains  were  bent,  anchors  got  over 
the  bows,  and  every  preparation  was  made  for 
coming  to.  The  wind  being  very  light,  at 
four  o'clock  we  passed  Gay  Head. 


HOME  AGAIN.  147 

July  12.  Fine,  pleasant  weather.  At  ten 
A.  M.  wind  moderate  from  the  northward ; 
passed  a  steamer  bound  east.  At  four  p.  m. 
Captain  Fisher  went  on  board  the  Nantucket 
boat  off  Edo-artown,  bound  to  Nantucket.  At 
this  time  we  had  a  fine  breeze,  and  at  eight 
o'clock  came  to  anchor  off  Nantucket  bar, 
furled  our  sails,  and  coiled  up  the  rigging. 

It  was  not  long  before  our  decks  were 
crowded  with  people,  custom-house  officers, 
etc.,  some  inquiring  for  their  friends,  while 
others  were  anxiously  asking  after  news,  and 
there  were  a  few  sailors'  landlords,  who,  in  the 
most  polite  and  agreeable  manner  possible, 
addressed  our  crew  as  if  they  had  been  ac- 
quainted with  them  all  their  lifetime,  swearing 
that  they  recognized  them  as  their  old  board- 
ers, and  using  every  art  and  persuasion  in 
their  power  to  induce  them  to  board  with 
them  again.  After  the  sails  were  furled,  the 
mate  told  all  the  Nantucket  boys  that  they 
could  go  on  shore  if  they  wanted  to,  but  they 
concluded  that  they  would  remain  on  board 
that  night  and  go  on  shore  in  the  morning. 
About  ten  p.  m.  we  set  the  anchor  watch  for 
the  night. 

On  the  morning  of  the  12th  several  boats 
came  alongside,   and  at  ten   o'clock   all  the 


148  HOMEWARD  BOUND. 

crew  went  on  shore,  leaving  the  ship  in 
charge  of  ship-keepers.  It  was  Sunday  morn- 
iner,  and  the  wharves  were  crowded  with 
people.  I  now  learned  that  my  mother  had 
married  six  months  after  I  sailed  from  home, 
and  was  residing  in  New  Bedford,  so  I  went 
to  my  uncle's  to  visit  for  a  few  days. 

After  landing  on  the  wharf,  I  started  at  a 
rapid  pace  for  the  residence  of  my  uncle. 
Every  object  I  fell  in  with  induced  a  train  of 
reflections  which  called  forth  pleasing  recol- 
lections of  my  schoolboy  days.  Passing  up 
Main  Street  I  saw  the  old  Custom  House,  the 
Pacific  Bank,  the  old  South  Church  on  Orange 
Street,  with  its  tall  steeple,  presenting  the 
same  appearance  of  tottering  age  that  it  did 
four  long  years  before.  As  it  was  near  eleven 
o'clock,  and  this  was  the  first  time  I  had  had 
my  land  tacks  aboard  for  two  months,  I 
walked  at  a  rapid  rate  for  about  fifteen  min- 
utes, at  the  end  of  which  time  I  arrived  at 
my  uncle's  house,  where  I  was  soon  sur- 
rounded by  my  friends.  This  interview  was 
such  as  might  have  been  expected  with  near 
and  very  dear  relatives,  on  meeting  after  such 
a  long  separation  ;  and  everything  was  done 
to  make  me  comfortable  and  happy  during 
my   stay  on  the  island,  which   was   for  only 


MEETING  WITH  FRIENDS.  149 

twenty-four  hours,  and  I  was  compelled  to 
relate,  with  minute  exactness,  many  of  the  in- 
cidents of  the  voyage.  I  also  found  that 
Mrs.  Hussey,  who  was  my  aunt,  had  died  dur- 
ing my  absence. 

It  had  been  mv  intention,  when  we  started 
for  home,  to  get  Captain  Hussey's  wife  and 
go  out  in  some  other  vessel  and  join  the 
captain  at  Strong's  Island.  Thence  we  were 
to  go  to  Sydney  and  purchase  a  small 
schooner,  which  under  my  command  would 
cruise  anions  the  islands  and  trade  for  co- 
coanut  oil,  mats,  molasses,  and  tortoise-shell, 
making  headquarters  at  Morgan  Island,  and 
carrying  our  oil  to  Sydney  and  exchang- 
ing it  for  articles  of  trade  and  provisions. 
But  I  was  persuaded  by  Captain  Hussey's 
family  not  to  return  to  the  islands,  and  let- 
ters were  sent  to  the  captain  informing  him 
of  the  death  of  his  wife  and  of  the  decision 
which  I  had  reached. 

On  the  morning  of  the  14th  I  took  the 
steamer  for  New  Bedford,  where  I  arrived  at 
one  p.  M.  Here  I  was  met  by  my  stepfather 
and  my  brothers,  who  shook  me  heartily  by 
the  hand  and  escorted  me  to  my  mother's 
house.  One  can  imagine  our  meeting  after 
our  long  separation.     Believing,  as  my  mother 


150  HOMEWARD  BOUND. 

did,  that  I  must  have  had  enough  of  the  sea, 
most  earnest  entreaties  were  now  used  to  in- 
duce me  to  give  up  the  hardships  and  perils 
of  a  life  on  the  ocean.  In  the  evening  I  gave 
my  family  a  full  description  of  my  voyage. 

On  the  following  afternoon  I  received  a 
summons  to  appear  in  Boston  on  the  20th  of 
July  as  a  government  witness,  Captain  Fisher 
and  the  mate  having  been  arrested  for  aiding 
and  abetting  Captain  Hussey  in  the  shooting 
of  James  H.  Clark  on  board  the  Planter.  The 
United  States  marshal  also  arrested  all  the 
crew  who  belonged  on  Nantucket  as  witnesses. 
The  trial  of  the  captain  and  mate  came  off  in 
due  season,  and  they  were  acquitted.  We 
were  each  then  put  under  six  hundred  dollars 
bonds  to  appear  before  the  grand  jury  in  Sep- 
tember, when  they  would  consider  Captain 
Hussey's  case.  The  grand  jury  finally  re- 
ported "  No  bill  "  against  Captain  Hussey,  so 
we  were  discharged,  and  went  home. 

The  Planter  brought  into  Nantucket  1,400 
barrels  of  sperm  oil  and  660  barrels  of  cocoa- 
nut  oil.  This  voyage  was  one  of  the  most 
pleasant,  and  at  the  same  time  the  most  ex- 
traordinary, that  I  ever  made. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Mediterranean  Voyages  :  Gold  Digging  in  California  — 
Brig  "William  Penn  at  Strong's  Island  —  Murder  of 
Captain  Hussey  —  Coasting  on  the  Pacific  —  Return 
Home  —  Captain  of  Schooner  Broadfield  —  Encounter 
with  Drunken  Sailors  at  Malaga — At  Kingston,  Ja- 
maica —  Brig  Lucy  Atwood  —  Brig  Martha  Kendall 
bound  for  Trieste  —  Beating  up  Straits  of  Gibraltar 
—  The  Adriatic  —  Trieste  —  Palermo  —  Exciting 
Times  —  From  Wilmington  to  Marseilles  —  Second 
Visit  to  Palermo  —  Hospitalities  —  Description  of  the 
City  —  Homeward  Voyage  —  Hamburg  —  Seville  — 
Cadiz  —  Rio  Grande  do  Sul  —  Coasting  Trips  —  New 
Orleans. 

After  remaining  at  home  a  few  months, 
I  decided  to  go  to  California  and  seek  my 
fortune.  So  I  went  to  New  York  and  took 
passage  in  a  steamer  bound  for  A  spin  wall. 
On  our  journey  across  the  isthmus,  which,  as 
was  the  custom  in  those  days,  was  made  on 
the  backs  of  donkeys,  while  we  were  crossing 
a  river,  the  animal  on  which  one  of  the  ladies 
was  mounted  lost  its  footing,  and  she  was 
swept  down  the  stream  and  drowned.  The 
next  day  her  body  was  found,  and   sent   to 


152  MEDITERRANEAN  VOYAGES. 

Panama  for  burial.  We  remained  at  Panama 
five  days  awaiting  the  coming  of  the  steamer 
which  was  to  take  us  to  San  Francisco. 
During  this  time  I  was  taken  sick  with  the 
fever,  but  recovered  sufficiently  to  resume  my 
journey  on  the  arrival  of  the  steamer.  We 
had  a  very  pleasant  passage  up  the  coast  and 
arrived  at  our  destination  in  the  fall  of  1852. 
Soon  after  I  reached  San  Francisco,  I  went, 
in  company  with  a  friend  from  New  Bedford, 
to  a  place  called  Wyman's  Ravine,  about 
forty-five  miles  from  Marysville.  Here  I 
worked  in  the  diggings  a  while,  but,  my  earn- 
ings averaging  only  about  ninety  cents  a  day, 
I  concluded  to  dig  back  to  San  Francisco,  and 
look  for  an  opportunity  to  go  to  sea.  While 
I  was  in  the  city  I  learned  of  the  mutiny  on 
board  the  brig  William  Penn. 

It  seems  that  early  in  the  year  1853  the 
brig  put  in  to  Strong's  Island  for  wood  and 
water.  Captain  Hussey,  who  was  still  living 
on  the  island,  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
brig  by  one  of  the  owners  present,  with  or- 
ders to  cruise  one  season  for  sperm  whales, 
and  then  to  take  her  to  San  Francisco.  It 
was  known  that  Captain  Hussey  had  a  large 
amount  of  money  with  him.  When  the  brig 
was  off  Woodle's  Island,  the  crew,  composed 


MURDER    OF  CAPTAIN  HUSSEY.        153 

principally  of  beach-combers  and  natives,  mu- 
tinied and  killed  the  captain  and  the  cook, 
cut  off  one  of  the  second  mate's  ears,  and 
inflicted  two  wounds  on  the  head  of  Mr. 
Nelson,  the  mate,  as  he  tried  to  come  out 
of  the  cabin,  leaving*  him  insensible.  They 
then  lowered  two  of  the  boats,  took  every- 
thing belonging  to  Captain  Hussey,  and  such 
other  valuables  as  they  could  lay  their  hands 
on,  and  abandoned  the  brig  and  landed  on 
Sydenham  Island,  which  was  the  last  that 
was  ever  heard  of  them. 

When  Mr.  Nelson  recovered  consciousness 
he  went  on  deck,  where  he  found  the  body  of 
Captain  Hussey  cut  in  two.  It  was  committed 
to  the  deep,  and  the  mates,  after  dressing  each 
other's  wounds,  assisted  by  the  steward,  whose 
life  was  also  spared,  managed  to  run  the  brig 
to  one  of  the  islands.  Here  natives  enough 
were  shipped  to  carry  the  brig  to  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

The  brio-  was  sold,  and  Mr.  Nelson  became 
master  of  the  brig  F.  W.  Copeland  &  Co.  I 
shipped  as  mate  with  him  to  go  on  a  voyage  to 
the  Fiji  Islands  for  a  cargo  of  sandal  wood,  and 
from  thence  to  China  and  back  to  San  Fran- 
cisco. But  the  a^ent  decided  to  send  her  first 
to  Stockton  with  a  cargo  of  nails  and  oats,  and 


154  MEDITERRANEAN  VOYAGES. 

on  her  return  to  San  Francisco  to  have  her 
cargo  for  the  longer  voyage  all  ready  to  go  on 
board.  On  our  return,  however,  she  was  sold 
to  run  down  the  coast.  During  this  trip  Cap- 
tain Nelson  and  myself  were  both  taken  sick 
with  fever  and  ague. 

In  November,  1853,  I  came  home,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1854,  my  health  having  some- 
what improved,  I  entered  the  merchant  ser- 
vice, and  made  several  voyages  to  the  West 
Indies  and  Spanish  Main  as  mate.  During 
this  period  I  married  a  young  lady  of  New 
Bedford.  I  also  joined  the  Odd  Fellows  and 
Masons.  On  the  3d  of  September,  1855,  I 
took  command  of  the  schooner  Broadfield  of 
Marion.  She  put  in  to  New  Bedford  for  a 
master,  Captain  Keen  having  died  of  yellow 
fever  in  Hampton  Roads,  Virginia.  She  had 
on  board  a  cargo  of  staves,  and  was  bound 
to  Malaga,  Spain.  We  shipped  a  new  crew, 
with  the  exception  of  the  mate  and  steward, 
Mr.  Can*  of  New  Bedford  going  as  second 
mate.  We  sailed  on  the  morning  of  the  5th 
of  September,  and  arrived  in  Malaga  on  the 
27th.  Sunday  morning  (30th)  I  gave  the 
crew  liberty  to  go  on  shore  to  spend  the  day, 
and  at  six  p.  m.  they  returned,  somewhat 
intoxicated.     As  one  of  the  men  came  over 


DRUNKEN  SAILORS.  155 

the  rail  he  struck  a  blow  at  the  mate,  who  fell 
over  the  steps  upon  deck.     I  was  in  the  cabin 
at  the  time,  and  hearing   a  noise  I  came  on 
deck  to  see  what  it  meant.     No  sooner  had  I 
reached  the  deck  than  one  of  the  sailors  aimed 
a   blow  at   the  mate's  head  with  a  large  oak 
stave.     When  I  jumped  to  catch  it,  he  let  me 
have  it  on  one  of  my  shoulders,  nearly  knock- 
ing me  down.     Without  having  any  words  I 
sailed  in,  and  it  was  not   long  before   three 
men  were  laid  out   on  the  deck   to  await  the 
coming  of  a  police  boat,  the  crew  of  which 
had  heard   the  row  and  were  soon  alongside. 
While  the  fighting  was  going  on  the  second 
mate  had  made  good  time  for  the  cabin,  and 
was  not  seen  again   until  after  the  perform- 
ance was  ended.     The  police   took  the  three 
men  on  shore   and  locked  them  up.     On  the 
following   morning  I  took   them  out   of  jail ; 
they  were  a  sorry-looking  lot  of  men.    Things 
went  on  again  quietly  for  three  or  four  days, 
when  one  mornino'  the  mate  went  forward   to 
call  all  hands,  and  to   our  great  surprise  we 
found  they  had  taken   French    leave  of  the 
vessel.     We  never  saw  any  of  them  again. 

We  shipped  a  new  crew,  and  on  the  first 
day  of  November  sailed  for  Baltimore  with  a 
cargo  of   raisins,  figs,  and   lead.     We   had  a 


156  MEDITERRANEAN  VOYAGES. 

very  rough  passage,  arriving  at  Cape  Henry 
on  the  27th  of  December,  and  were  twenty- 
seven  days  in  getting  to  Baltimore,  on  ac- 
count of  the  ice  in  the  bay.  We  discharged 
our  cargo,  and  loaded  a  general  cargo  for 
Kingston,  Jamaica,  but  was  detained  seven 
weeks  at  the  wharf,  when  the  steamer  Joseph 
Whitney  of  Boston  towed  us  to  sea.  We 
were  eighteen  days  on  the  outward  passage, 
having  had  seven  heavy  gales  of  wind.  One 
morning  the  mate  entered  the  cabin  and  told 
my  wife  that  it  was  hard,  but  the  vessel  would 
be  a  coffin  for  us  all.  He  was  more  frightened 
than  she  was.  After  discharging  our  cargo 
we  went  to  Savana  la  Mar,  a  small  town  at 
the  west  end  of  the  island,  and  loaded  with 
sugar,  rum,  and  logwood  for  New  York, 
where  we  arrived  in  July.  After  the  cargo 
was  discharged,  Captain  Fisk  of  Cape  Cod 
bought  an  interest  in  the  schooner  and  took 
command  of  her,  when  I  came  home  and 
took  command  of  the  brig  Lucy  Atwood,  be- 
lonoino'  to  the  same  owners.  I  went  in  this 
vessel  about  thirty  months,  in  the  West  India, 
Western,  and  Cape  de  Verde  island  trade,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  the  agent  died,  and  the 
briar  was  sold  to  a  Portuguese  to  run  to  the 
Western  Islands. 


BOUND    FOR    TRIESTE.  157 

After  remaining-  on  shore  for  three  weeks  I 
entered  the  employ  of  Messrs.  Francis  & 
George  Taber  of  New  Bedford,  who  at  that 
time  were  largely  engaged  in  the  whaling  and 
coal  business.  I  first  took  command  of  the 
schooner  Cyclone,  making  two  voyages  to  St. 
John's,  Newfoundland,  and  three  or  four 
coastwise  voyages.  I  next  took  command  of 
the  brig  Martha  Kendall,  in  the  same  employ. 
I  left  New  Bedford  in  December,  1859,  for 
Wilmington,  N.  C,  to  load  naval  stores  for 
Trieste,  Austria.  We  had  very  heavy  weather 
until  we  made  Cape  Spartel,  when  we  took 
the  wind  to  the  eastward.  We  were  standing 
in  towards  the  African  coast  when  a  couple 
of  shots  Avere  fired  at  us  from  one  of  the 
forts,  the  balls  passing  over  our  heads.  We 
immediately  wore  ship  and  gave  the  African 
coast  a  good  berth.  The  next  morning  we 
brought  the  brio-  into  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar. 
The  wind  was  still  to  the  eastward,  dead 
ahead,  and  the  brig  was  obliged  to  beat  from 
shore  to  shore,  a  distance  of  about  fifty  miles, 
having  the  African  mountains  on  one  hand 
and  the  Spanish  hills  on  the  other,  and  ahead 
the  rock  of  Gibraltar,  three  miles  in  length 
and  1,600  feet  high,  with  its  strong  batteries 
always   ready  at   a  moment's   notice   to   pour 


158  MEDITERRANEAN   VOYAGES. 

forth  destruction  upon  an  approaching  enemy. 
A  strong"  current  which  always  runs  to  the 
eastward  helped  us  to  work  to  the  windward, 
so  that  evening  we  passed  the  rock  of  Gi- 
braltar. We  had  rather  light  and  baffling 
winds  in  the  Mediterranean.  The  brig  made 
slow  progress,  but  the  weather  was  fine  ;  and 
after  passing  Sicily  we  had  fair  winds  and 
a  good  run  up  the  Adriatic  Sea.  One  even- 
ing the  sun  went  down  upon  a  scene  which  I 
shall  never  forget.  The  beautiful  blue  sky 
was  lighted  up  by  brilliant  clouds  which,  re- 
flected in  the  still  waters,  made  the  sea  almost 
as  full  of  color  as  the  sky.  The  next  morning 
the  sun  rose  upon  a  scene  almost  as  charming 
as  that  we  had  witnessed  the  previous  even- 
ing ;  but  with  it  came  what  was  of  far  more 
consequence  to  us,  a  good  breeze,  and  the  brig 
was  headed  directly  for  the  harbor  of  Trieste. 
At  three  p.  m.  we  came  to  anchor  in  ten 
fathoms  of  water  and  furled  our  sails.  We 
had  made  the  passage  in  sixty  days.  Here 
we  found  several  American  vessels  discharg- 
ing cotton  from  Southern  ports.  After  dis- 
charging: our  cargo  we  took  in  ballast,  and 
sailed  for  Palermo. 

Trieste   is  a  beautiful  city,  and   it    has    a 
spacious    harbor,    and    a    broad    canal   deep 


TRIESTE.  loO 

enough  to  float  large  ships,  which  runs  up 
from  the  harbor  through  the  new  town,  giv- 
ing merchants  opportunity  to  unload  their 
ooods  almost  at  their  own  doors.  The  old 
town  is  built  on  the  side  of  a  mountain,  on 
the  top  of  which  is  the  Castle.  The  new 
town  begins  at  the  foot  of  the  declivity  on 
which  the  old  town  stands,  and  extends  down 
to  the  harbor.  The  new  town  is  especially 
well  built,  and  possesses  many  fine  churches 
and  other  buildings  of  a  public  character. 
The  population  is  estimated  at  70,000.  The 
city  has  an  extensive  commerce,  being  the 
principal  seaport  of  the  Austro-Hungarian 
empire.  Among  its  exports  are  salt,  oil,  al- 
monds, iron,  copper,  wine,  etc.  Considerable 
shipbuilding  is  done,  and  an  active  trade  is 
also  carried  on  in  the  bay.  Trieste  was  taken 
by  the  French  in  1797,  but  was  evacuated  in 
the  same  year.  In  1809  it  again  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  French,  who  retained  it  till 
1814. 

On  the  8th  of  May,  1860,  we  entered  the 
harbor  of  Palermo,  and  found  it  full  of  men- 
of-war  belonging  to  various  nations,  with 
some  merchant  vessels  waiting  for  cargoes. 
We  also  found  the  city  full  of  Bourbon  sol- 
diers.    On  the  11th  of  May  the  steamers  Pie- 


100  MEDITERRANEAN    VOYAGES. 

monte  and  Lombardo  landed  about  1,000 
men,  under  Garibaldi,  at  Marsala,  a  small 
town  on  the  western  coast  of  Sicily,  where 
they  passed  the  night.  On  the  morning  of 
the  12th  they  started  on  their  march  up  the 
coast.  In  Palermo  soldiers  were  stationed  on 
every  street  corner.  On  the  27th  the  Gari- 
baldians  made  the  attack  on  the  city.  The 
resistance  which  they  met  did  not  avail ;  vic- 
tory smiled  on  courage  and  justice,  and  in  a 
short  time  the  soldiers  of  Italian  freedom 
stacked  their  arms  in  the  centre  of  the  city. 

During  our  stay  at  Palermo  we  had  about 
150  Sicilians  on  board  our  vessel,  and  the 
bark  Zephyr  of  New  York,  Captain  Lane,  had 
300  more.  About  fifty  small  boats  made  fast 
alongside  of  us,  the  most  of  them  containing 
families.  All  the  people  in  these  boats 
wanted  to  get  on  board  an  American  vessel, 
but  as  there  were  only  two  in  the  harbor, 
they  could  not  very  well  be  accommodated. 
Having  received  my  cargo  of  oranges,  lemons, 
sumac,  and  sulphur  on  board,  I  transferred 
the  Sicilians  to  other  vessels  lying  in  the  har- 
bor, and,  bidding  them  all  adieu,  we  took  our 
departure  for  Boston.  We  also  had  the 
American  consul  and  family,  thirteen  in  all, 
on  board   during   our  stay  there.     We  gave 


FROM   WILMINGTON  TO  MARSEILLES.     161 

them  the  use  of   our  cabin,  and  also  the  offi- 
cers' rooms. 

Moderate  breezes  and  pleasant  weather 
brought  the  brig  again  in  sight  of  Gibraltar, 
twelve  days  after  leaving  Palermo.  By  night- 
fall we  were  abreast  of  the  harbor,  and  all 
through  the  night  we  made  short  tacks  across 
the  Straits,  only  to  find  ourselves  in  the  same 
position  in  the  morning.  We  then  took  a 
light  easterly  wind,  which  carried  us  through 
the  Straits  and  into  the  Atlantic.  We  took 
the  northern  passage,  and  were  fifty -three 
days  in  making  the  trip  to  Boston.  We  had 
mild  weather  and  light  southwest  winds  most 
of  the  voyage. 

After  discharging  our  cargo  in  Boston  I 
chartered  my  vessel  to  go  to  Wilmington  for 
a  load  of  naval  stores,  and  from  there  to 
Marseilles,  and  then  to  go  over  to  Palermo 
for  a  cargo  of  fruit  for  Philadelphia.  We 
had  a  fine  run  out  to  Wilmington,  loaded  and 
sailed  from  there  on  the  1st  of  October.  With 
a  fine  breeze  we  left  the  shore  of  North  Caro- 
lina astern  and  shaped  our  course  for  the 
Straits  of  Gibraltar.  During  the  first  part  of 
the  passage  we  had  fresh  and  favorable  winds, 
but  in  the  latter  part  we  had  very  heavy 
oales  from  northwest  to  northeast.      We  had 


162  MEDITERRANEAN   VOYAGES. 

400  barrels  of  rosin  on  deck.  In  a  heavy 
northerly  gale  we  shipped  a  sea  that  washed 
50  barrels  overboard.  On  the  20th  of  No- 
vember we  made  Cape  Spartel,  when  we  bent 
our  chains  and  overhauled  a  range  on  both  of 
them.  We  had  a  nice  breeze  from  the  west- 
ward, and  during  the  night  passed  the  rock 
of  Gibraltar.  Strong  easterly  winds  now  fa- 
vored us,  and  on  the  7th  of  December  we 
arrived  at  Marseilles.  The  pilot  put  us  into 
the  new  harbor,  and  as  a  consequence  we 
could  not  have  any  fires  on  board,  so  the 
cooking;  for  our  men  had  to  be  done  on  shore 
in  small  cook-houses.  Here  we  remained 
twenty  days,  discharging  cargo  ;  and  when 
this  was  finished  took  in  ballast  and  sailed  for 
Palermo  for  a  cargo  of  fruit. 

We  arrived  at  Palermo  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  7th  of  January,  1861.  When  I  went  on 
shore  I  was  given  an  opportunity  of  appre- 
ciating the  estimation  with  which  the  people 
regarded  us,  for  as  soon  as  they  heard  of  our 
arrival,  numbers  came  down  on  the  mole  to 
greet  us,  and  to  extend  to  us  the  hospitalities 
of  the  city.  Not  only  that  day,  but  every 
day  during  our  stay  in  port,  Mrs.  Paddack 
and  myself  were  invited  out  to  dinner.  When 
our  cargo  was  all  on   board  and  the  vessel 


PALERMO.  163 

nearly  ready  for  sea,  our  friends,  realizing 
that  this  might  be  our  last  meeting,  came  to 
see  us  off.  To  the  crew  they  made  many 
presents,  consisting  of  crucifixes,  rosaries,  and 
relics  of  saints.  We  exchanged  farewells,  not 
without  feelings  of  sorrow  and  regret  on  both 
sides.  During  our  stay  at  Palermo  we  visited 
the  catacombs  as  well  as  many  other  places  of 
interest. 

Palermo  is  built  in  the  form  of  an  amphi- 
theatre, and  is  backed  by  high  and  rocky 
mountains.  Between  the  city  and  the  moun- 
tains is  one  of  the  richest  plains  in  the  world, 
the  whole  having  the  appearance  of  a  magnifi- 
cent garden  filled  with  fruit-trees  and  watered 
by  fountains  and  rivulets.  The  two  principal 
streets  intersect  each  other  in  the  centre  of 
the  city,  where  they  form  a  handsome  square 
called  the  Ottangolo,  from  which  can  be  seen 
the  whole  of  these  notable  streets  and  the 
four  elegant  gates  at  which  they  terminate, 
each  at  the  distance  of  half  a  mile.  The 
churches  of  Palermo  are  upwards  of  300  in 
number,  and  many  of  them  are  magnificent. 
The  cathedral  is  a  large  Gothic  structure  sup- 
ported within  by  eighty  columns  of  Oriental 
granite,  and  divided  into  a  number  of  chapels, 
some  of  which  are  richly  decorated. 


164  MEDITERRANEAN   VOYAGES. 

January  22  we  got  under  weigh,  with  a 
fine  breeze  from  the  eastward,  and  stood  out 
of  the  bay.  We  had  moderate  breezes  and 
fine  weather  until  February  3,  when  we  passed 
Gibraltar  with  a  strong  wind  at  our  backs, 
and  were  soon  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  As  we 
were  bound  to  Philadelphia,  the  direct  course 
would  have  been  nearly  west ;  but  as  westerly 
winds  prevail  in  that  latitude,  the  brig  was 
headed  southwest  in  order  to  take  advantage 
of  the  northeast  trades.  We  passed  close  to 
the  island  of  Madeira,  then  with  moderate 
trades  ran  down  to  lat.  20°  N.,  and  kept  along 
to  the  westward,  having  beautiful  weather 
all  the  time.  We  cleaned  and  painted  the  brig 
inside,  fitted  and  tarred  down  the  rigging, 
and  put  her  in  fine  order  for  going  into  port. 
After  passing  the  longitude  of  Bermuda,  our 
course  was  shaped  more  to  the  northward, 
and,  losing  the  trades,  southerly  winds  helped 
us  along  still  farther.  In  crossing  the  Gulf 
Stream  we  found  unsettled  weather,  as  is  apt 
to  be  the  case  at  that  time  of  the  year,  and 
were  busied  in  making  and  taking  in  sail  as 
occasion  required.  On  the  20th  of  March 
we  took  a  pilot  on  board  off  the  capes  of 
Delaware,  and  the  following  morning  at  eight 
o'clock    we    were    alongside    Market    Street 


HAMBURG.  1G5 

Wharf,  being  consigned  to  Messrs.  Isaac 
Janes  &  Co.  We  discharged  our  crew,  and 
in  course  of  one  week  had  the  brig  un- 
loaded and  chartered  to  take  a  cargo  out  to 
Cardenas,  for  which  port  we  sailed  on  the  3d 
of  April.  We  had  strong  northwest  winds 
and  a  good  run,  arriving  at  Cardenas  on  the 
13th.  After  discharging  our  cargo  we  loaded 
with  molasses  for  Boston.  Fourteen  days 
later  we  were  at  anchor  in  Boston.  We  dis- 
charged our  cargo  and  chartered  the  brig  to 
load  with  sugar  and  call  at  Falmouth,  Eng- 
land for  orders,  where  we  arrived  on  the 
24th  of  May.  After  remaining  there  three 
days  we  received  orders  to  proceed  to  Ham- 
burg, which  port  we  made  on  the  31st.  On 
the  10th  of  June  we  were  all  discharged,  bal- 
lasted, and  had  chartered  the  brig  to  the 
Spanish  government  to  go  to  Memel,  Prussia, 
for  a  load  of  lumber  to  be  taken  to  Cadiz. 

Hamburg  is  a  beautiful  city,  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  Elbe,  about  fifty-five  miles  from 
its  mouth,  consisting  of  an  old  and  new 
town,  both  nearly  equal  in  size.  Most  of  the 
houses  are  built  after  the  manner  of  the 
Dutch,  and  are  richly  furnished  within.  The 
principal  streets  of  the  old  town  have  long 
and  broad  canals  which  are  filled  by  the  tide. 


1G6  MEDITERRANEAN    VOYAGES. 

The  established  religion  is  Lutheran,  but  all 
denominations  are  tolerated.  Besides  the  five 
principal  churches,  there  are  eleven  smaller 
ones  for  particular  occasions,  some  of  which 
belong  to  hospitals,  of  which  there  are  a 
great  number.  It  has  a  library  containing 
about  100,000  volumes.  The  cathedral  of 
Our  Lady  is  a  very  fine  structure.  Hamburg, 
from  its  situation,  has  all  possible  advantages 
for  foreign  and  domestic  trade ;  particularly 
from  its  communication,  by  the  Elbe,  with 
some  of  the  principal  navigable  rivers  of  Ger- 
many ;  and  hence  it  is  one  of  the  most  com- 
mercial places  in  Europe.  This  city  suffered 
much  from  the  cholera  in  the  autumn  of 
1831,  and  also  again  in  1892. 

On  the  11th  of  June  the  pilot  came  on 
board.  We  bade  all  our  friends  good-by, 
and  with  a  light  wind  we  got  under  weigh,  in 
company  with  the  American  bark  Julius  Scam- 
met,  Captain  Buckham.  At  six  o'clock  that 
afternoon  we  came  to  anchor  about  forty 
miles  below  Hamburg,  and  on  the  following 
morning  got  under  weigh  with  a  strong  head 
wind.  We  continued  to  beat  down  the  river 
until  three  p.  m.,  when  we  came  to  anchor. 
Here  we  remained  for  three  days,  when  it 
moderated,    and    on    the  16th,  with   a  light 


MEMEL.  1<j7 

easterly  wind,  we  got  under  weigh  once  more. 
At  nine  o'clock  that  morning  we  discharged 
our  pilot  and  shaped  our  course  for  the 
Skager  Rack.  We  were  six  days  in  getting 
up  to  Copenhagen,  where  we  laid  one  day  on 
account  of  strong  head  winds  and  head  tide. 
On  the  24th  we  got  under  weigh  again  with  a 
light  fair  wind,  and  arrived  at  Memel  on  the 
27th. 

Memel  is  a  strong  town  of  East  Prussia, 
with  a  castle,  a  fine  harbor,  and  an  extensive 
commerce.  It  is  situated  at  the  northern 
extremity  of  the  Curische-Haff.  On  the  north- 
east side  of  the  entrance  into  the  harbor  is  a 
good  lighthouse. 

We  discharged  our  ballast  and  took  in  our 
cargo  of  lumber  and  sailed  on  the  12th  of 
July  for  Cadiz.  On  the  22d  we  put  in  to  the 
Isle  of  Wight  for  a  harbor,  and  remained  for 
two  days,  as  it  was  blowing  a  heavy  gale  from 
the  southwest.  On  the  morning  of  the  25th 
we  again  got  under  weigh,  and  on  the  3d  of 
Aupust  arrived  at  Cadiz.  At  the  custom- 
house  I  was  told  that  the  Spanish  government 
wanted  the  lumber  taken  to  Seville,  and  that 
if  I  would  go  there  they  would  tow  the  brig 
up  and  back,  and  would  also  put  a  crew  on 
board  and  help  discharge  the  cargo,  at  which 


168  MEDITERRANEAN   VOYAGES. 

I  consented  to  go  there.  On  the  following 
morning  a  large  steamboat  came  alongside 
and  took  us  in  tow,  and  we  arrived  at  Seville 
on  the  6th  of  August. 

Seville  was  formerly  the  capital  of  Spain. 
It  is  situated  on  the  Guadalquivir  River, 
about  forty-five  miles  from  the  ocean.  It  is 
fortified  by  strong  walls  flanked  with  high 
towers,  and  its  area  is  greater  than  that  of 
Madrid,  although  it  now  has  not  more  than 
100,000  inhabitants.  The  Moors  built  an 
aqueduct,  still  to  be  seen,  six  miles  in  length. 
The  cathedral  is  said  to  be  the  largest  church 
in  the  world  except  St.  Peter's  at  Rome.  The 
university  consists  of  many  colleges,  and  the 
professors  enjoy  rich  pensions.  The  country 
around  is  extremely  fertile  in  corn  and  wine, 
and  there  is  an  abundance  of  oil ;  to  the  west 
of  the  river  is  a  grove  of  olive-trees  thirty 
miles  in  length.  Seville  was  taken  by  the 
French  in  1810,  but  they  evacuated  it  after 
the  battle  of  Salamanca  in  1812. 

On  the  16th  of  August  we  finished  dis- 
charging our  car«-o,  and  on  the  17th  the 
steamer  took  us  in  tow,  and  we  arrived  at 
Cadiz  the  next  clay.  Here  we  found  several 
American  vessels  waiting  to  charter,  but  on 
account  of  the  privateers  that  were  cruising 


CADIZ.  1G9 

in   these   waters,   the   merchants   would   not 
charter  them. 

Cadiz  is  the  richest  trading  port  of  Spain, 
and  one  of  its  finest  cities.  The  town  is  sur- 
rounded with  a  wall  and  irregular  bastions, 
adapted  to  the  variations  of  the  ground.  At 
the  neck  of  the  isthmus,  where  it  is  most  ac- 
cessible, every  precaution  has  been  taken  to 
secure  it  against  hostile  attacks  ;  and  it  may, 
therefore,  be  regarded  as  almost  impregnable. 
The  bay  of  Cadiz  is  the  appointed  resort  of 
merchant  vessels  ;  that  of  the  Puntales  is  re- 
served for  Spanish  men-of-war  and  merchant- 
men trading  with  America.  A  passage  into 
it  is  not  permitted  to  ships  of  foreign  nations. 
On  the  isthmus,  near  the  town,  are  important 
salt-works,  and  some  vineyards  which  produce 
good  wine.  The  streets  are  straight  and  in 
general  well  paved  and  lighted,  but  in  some 
parts  narrow.  The  houses  with  their  small 
windows  and  projecting  slate  roofs  have 
rather  a  gloomy  appearance,  notwithstanding 
their  whitened  walls.  The  principal  street  is 
that  of  San  Antonio.  A  favorite  luxury,  dur- 
ing the  summer  heats  here,  is  water  cooled 
with  snow  brought  from  the  distant  moun- 
tains  of  Ronda.  Few  seaports  can  boast  of 
greater  antiquity.     In  the  sea,  near  the  island 


170  MEDITERRANEAN   VOYAGES. 

of  San  Pedro,  are  still  to  be  traced  the  ruins 
of  the  temple  of  Hercules  and  of  the  ancient 
Gades. 

After  remaining  here  two  months,  we  sailed 
with  a  cargo  of  salt  for  Rio  Grande  do  Sid. 
On  the  day  we  left  Cadiz,  a  Confederate 
steamer  took  two  American  vessels  just  out- 
side the  harbor  and  burned  them,  and  on  the 
following  day  landed  the  crews  at  Cadiz.  We 
passed  between  the  Canary  Islands,  enjoying 
their  verdure  and  bold  mountain  scenery,  and 
also  saw  the  volcanic  Peak  of  Teneriffe  lifting 
his  head  above  the  clouds  12,000  feet  from 
the  ocean.  We  had  strong  northeast  trades, 
and  a  fine  run  to  the  line ;  which  we  crossed 
in  longitude  29°  W.  We  took  the  southeast 
trades,  and  had  fine  weather  to  Rio  Grande 
bar.  Here  we  were  detained  for  thirteen 
days  on  account  of  the  low  condition  of  the 
water.  During'  this  time  we  had  to  go  to  sea 
twice  on  account  of  southeast  gales,  and  also 
lost  one  anchor  and  twenty  fathoms  of  chain. 
A  Portuguese  bark  went  ashore  in  one  of 
the  gales  and  a  lady  passenger  was  drowned. 
On  the  morning  of  December  20,  there  being 
water  enough  on  the  bar,  we  ran  in,  and  at 
eleven  o'clock  came  to  anchor  in  seven 
fathoms  of  water ;  furled  our  sails  and  cleared 


BRIG   GEORGIA.  171 

up  the  decks.     We  discharged  our  cargo,  and 
on   the  15th   of  February,   18G2,  I   sold  the 
brig  to  a  Portuguese  captain  to  run  along  the 
coast  in  the  jerked  beef  trade.     My  wife  and 
I  then  went   on   board  the   schooner  John   of 
New  York,  which  was  discharging  a  cargo  of 
salt    from    Lisbon,    and    after    remaining    a 
month  in  port  we  sailed  for  New  York,  touch- 
ing at  St.  Thomas,  where  we   took  on   board 
several  passengers.     We  arrived  in  New  York 
about  the  15th  of  June,  when  my  owner,  Mr. 
Edward   Mott  Robinson   of  New  York,  sent 
me  to  Newburyport  to   negotiate  with  parties 
to   build   a  new    ship,   but    their  terms    were 
altogether    too    high.     When    I   came    home 
Mr.  Robinson  told  me  that  he  had  three  ships 
on   the  way   from  the  Pacific  Ocean  to  New 
York,  and  that   if  I  would  remain   at  home 
until  they  came  in  I  could  take  my  pick  of 
them. 

As  I  had  three  or  four  months  to  stay  at 
home,  I  was  sent  for  to  go  to  New  York  and 
take  command  of  the  brig  Georgia  for  one 
voyage  to  New  Orleans  and  back  to  New 
York.  I  sailed  on  the  20th  of  August  witli 
a  cargo  of  provisions,  and  arrived  at  the 
Southwest  Pass  on  the  15th  of  September. 
As  there  were  no  tug-boats  down,  we  sailed  up 


172  MEDITERRANEAN   VOYAGES. 

to  the  English  turn,  and  from  thence  were 
towed  to  the  city.  We  passed  several  Con- 
federate steamers  sunk  along  the  banks  of 
the  river.  Admiral  Farragut's  fleet  lay  in 
front  of  the  city,  and  General  Butler  had 
possession  of  it.  After  discharging  our  cargo 
we  loaded  with  staves  and  sailed  for  New 
York,  where  we  arrived  on  the  1st  of  Novem- 
ber. On  the  7th  we  finished  discharging  our 
cargo,  and  I  gave  up  the  command  of  the 
brio;  to  her  former  master. 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Bark  Faith  :  Bordeaux  —  From  New  Orleans  to 
Philadelphia  —  Heavy  Weather  —  A  German  Pas- 
senger —  Port  Royal,  S.  C.  —  The  Bark  sold  —  The 
Brig  Keying  —  Experience  with  a  Canal  Boat. 

I  next  had  the  offer  of  the  bark  Faith  of 
New  York  for  a  voyage  to  Bordeaux  ;  and 
upon  consulting  Mr.  Robinson,  who  told  me 
that  I  would  have  ample  time  to  perform 
the  voyage,  I  took  the  command  and  sailed 
from  that  port  on  the  15th  of  November. 
We  had  very  heavy  west  and  northwest  gales 
all  of  the  passage,  with  a  heavy  sea  running. 
We  lost  one  man  overboard.  It  was  blowing 
a  gale  at  the  time,  and  before  we  could  bring 
the  bark  to  the  wind  we  lost  sip;ht  of  him. 
After  laying  by  for  an  hour  we  could  see 
nothing  of  him,  so  we  kept  the  bark  off  on 
her  course  again.  We  only  had  two  observa- 
tions on  this  passage.  On  the  morning  of  De- 
cember 5  we  took  a  pilot  off  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Gironde,  and  arrived  at  Bordeaux  at 
five  p.  m. 


174  THE  BARK  FAITH. 

.  Bordeaux  is  on  the  Garonne,  sixty  miles 
from  the  ocean,  and  is  built  chiefly  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  river.  Like  many  other  European 
cities,  the  date  of  its  foundation  is  lost  in  the 
distance  of  time.  It  was  a  rich  and  impor- 
tant place  at  the  time  of  the  conquest  of  the 
country  by  the  Romans.  The  most  striking 
objects  one  sees  on  approaching  Bordeaux  are 
the  port  and  the  stupendous  bridge,  projected 
and  partly  built  by  Bonaparte  over  the  Ga- 
ronne, which  is  at  this  point  about  2,000  feet 
wide.  The  practicability  of  such  a  bridge  was 
long  doubted,  because  of  the  width  of  the 
river  and  the  violence  of  the  current.  The 
streets  in  the  old  part  of  the  city  are  narrow 
and  crooked,  but  in  the  newer  quarters  they, 
as  well  as  the  many  public  edifices,  are  of 
great  beauty  and  elegance.  There  is  nothing 
striking  in  the  environs  of  Bordeaux.  On 
the  Tour  de  Cordouan,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Gironde,  is  the  finest  lighthouse  on  the 
French  coast.  It  was  commenced  in  1584 
and  completed  in  1610.  The  Gironde  is, 
properly  speaking,  an  arm  of  the  sea,  and  is 
formed  by  the  union  of  the  rivers  Garonne 
and  Dordogne. 

After   discharging    our    cargo,    we    loaded 
with  wine  and  brandy  for  New  Orleans,  and 


SEASICK  PASSENGERS.  175 

sailed  about  the  middle  of  January,  1863. 
We  left  several  American  vessels  in  port.  We 
had  fine  easterly  winds,  which  carried  us  into 
the  northeast  trades,  where  we  had  good 
weather  until  we  arrived  at  the  Southwest 
Pass,  on  the  20th  of  March,  when  we  took  a 
tug  and  were  towed  up  the  river  to  New 
Orleans.  Here  we  discharged  our  crew,  and 
after  unloading  we  chartered  to  load  a  gen- 
eral cargo  for  Philadelphia.  We  also  took 
on  board  thirteen  cabin  passengers  ;  among 
them  were  three  small  children.  We  shipped 
a  new  crew,  and  sailed  from  New  Orleans  on 
the  1st  of  May,  arriving  at  the  bar  on  the  2d, 
when  the  wind  veered  round  to  the  northwest, 
with  dark  and  threatening  weather.  The 
bark  was  rolling  heavily,  and  when  the  din- 
ner-bell rang  that  day  very  few  of  the  pas- 
sengers were  able  to  put  in  an  appearance. 
One  brave  little  fellow,  however,  sat  down  to 
dine  with  us,  and  partook  heartily  of  duff,  but 
.in  a  little  while  he  was  heard  to  exclaim, 
"  Oh,  mamma,  mamma !  I  begin  to  sweat 
around  the  neck  !  '  "  Come  here,  dear  ;  you 
are  going  to  be  sick,"  said  a  faint  voice  from 
the  deck,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the  little 
fellow  was  numbered  among  the  mourners  on 
the  deck.     Off  the  coast  of  Florida  we  took 


176  THE  BARK  FAITH. 

a  heavy  squall  which  hove  the  bark  on  her 
beam  ends,  and  caused  everything  to  fly  off 
the  cabin  table.  Likewise,  all  the  cabin  pas- 
sengers were  thrown  violently  to  the  floor,  as 
were  also  two  large  dogs.  Such  a  screaming 
as  followed  is  rarely  heard.  One  German 
passenger  ran  on  deck  and  got  a  large  stick 
of  wood,  and  was  going  back  to  the  cabin 
with  it,  when  I  stopped  him  and  inquired 
what  he  was  going  to  do  with  it.  He  replied 
that  it  was  for  his  wife  to  get  on  in  case  the 
bark  was  capsized.  He  said  that  when  he 
came  to  this  country  he  was  shipwrecked,  and 
he  was  bound  to  look  out  for  his  wife.  I 
told  him  there  was  no  danger ;  that  the 
squall  would  soon  pass  over.  In  a  little 
while  we  had  all  our  light  sails  set  again, 
and  got  our  supper. 

At  six  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  May  21 
we  took  a  pilot  off  the  capes  of  Delaware, 
and  on  the  following;  morning;  we  were  along- 
side  the  wharf  at  Philadelphia.  We  dis-. 
charged  our  crew,  and  on  the  30th  we  had 
all  our  cargo  ashore.  I  now  received  the 
news  of  Mr.  Robinson's  death,  and  learned 
that  as  fast  as  the  ships  came  home  they 
were  sold  to  settle  up  the  estate.  So  I  de- 
cided to  remain  with  the  bark.     We  put  in  a 


WRECK   OF  THE  BARK.  177 

new  mizzen-mast  and  gave  her  a  general  over- 
hauling, and  then  took  in  a  load  of  coal  for 
the   government,  to  go  to   Port  Royal,  S.  C. 
We  were  lying  at  the  wharf  during  the  first 
four  days  of  July  while  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg was   o-oino*   on.     Merchants  were  busily 
engaged  in   shipping   their    goods    north,   as 
they    feared    that    General    Lee    would    cap- 
ture the  city.     On  the  5th  of  July  we  got  our 
crew  and  pilot  on  board,  and  took  a  tug  and 
proceeded    down    the    river   as   far    as    New 
Castle,  where  the  tug  left   us,  and,  the  tide 
being  ahead,  we  came  to  anchor  and  remained 
there   until   the  next  morning,  when  we  got 
under  weigh  again  and  stood  down  the  river. 
At  four  P.  m.  the  pilot  left  us,  and  with  a 
lio-ht   southwest  wind  we   proceeded    on   our 
way.     We  had  fine  weather  and  light  winds 
most  of  the  passage,  and  arrived  at  the  bar 
on  the  20th.     We  were  four  days  off  the  bar 
with  our  colors  flying  for  a   pilot,  but    the 
pilots  had  all  gone  up  to  South  Edisto.     In 
going  in  we  got  aground   on    the   bar,   and 
when  the  tide  left   us   the  bark  broke  in  two. 
We  then  had  a  southeast  gale,  which  finished 
our  unfortunate  craft,  but  we  had  the  conso- 
lation of  knowing  that  she  was  well  insured. 
We  stripped  her  and   sent  her  rigging,  sails, 


178  THE  BRIG  KEYING. 

chains,  and  anchors  to  Philadelphia,  where 
they  were  sold  at  auction  for  the  benefit  of 
all  concerned. 

On  the  1st  of  September  I  took  the  brig- 
Keying  of  Newburyport  for  a  voyage  to  Port 
Koyal,  S.  C,  she  being  all  loaded  and  ready 
for  sea.  On  the  3d  we  got  our  crew  and 
pilot  on  board  and  were  towed  down  to  Ches- 
ter, where  the  tu£  left  us  with  a  fine  north- 
east  wind,  and  on  the  afternoon  of  the  6th 
we  let  go  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Port  Royal, 
making  the  run  in  seventy-six  hours.  We 
anchored  alongside  the  frigate  Vermont,  and 
there  we  remained  for  six  months,  having 
on  board  a  cargo  of  coal  for  the  government. 
In  March  we  finished  discharging  our  cargo, 
took  in  ballast,  and  then  sailed  for  Phila- 
delphia, where  we  arrived  about  the  15th  of 
the  month,  when  the  former  captain  of  the 
brig  took  command  of  her  again. 

About  this  time  the  government  was  build- 
ing a  pontoon  bridge  across  the  Potomac,  and 
Captain  George  Knight  of  Philadelphia  per- 
suaded me  to  purchase  a  half  interest  in  a 
canal  boat  with  him  and  take  a  load  of  hay 
to  Washington,  and  then  sell  the  boat  to  the 
government.  I  invested,  thinking  it  would 
be  a  good  speculation.     I  shipped  a  man  who 


A    POOR   INVESTM EXT.  179 

led  me  to  believe  that  he  was  acquainted  with 
the  canal  business  ;  but  I  soon  learned  that 
he  was  as  green  as  I  was,  and  if  possible 
greener,  for  in  steering  through  the  canal, 
when  I  gave  him  orders  to  put  his  helm  hard 
a  toe  path,  he  put  it  hard  a  heel  path,  and 
ran  the  boat  into  a  North  River  sloop,  mak- 
ing a  large  hole  in  her  bow  just  above  water 
line.  I  nailed  some  canvas  and  boards  over 
the  hole  and  proceeded  to  Washington  all 
right.  When  I  reported  to  the  quartermaster 
I  told  him  that  I  had  a  fine  canal  boat  for 
sale,  but  he  informed  me  that  the  government 
had  bought  all  the  boats  it  required ;  so  after 
discharging  our  hay,  the  government  towed 
us  back  to  Philadelphia.  My  wife  accom- 
panied me  on  this  perilous  voyage  as  mate 
and  cook.  As  we  were  coming  through  the 
canal  the  old  man  got  overboard,  and  would 
have  been  drowned  but  for  the  exertions  of 
my  wife  and  self.  We  hauled  the  boat  up 
and  advertised  her  for  sale,  and  were  fortu- 
nate in  finding  a  purchaser  in  a  New  York 
party.  She  had  proved  to  be  a  poor  invest- 
ment. 


CHAPTER  XL 

In  the  Brig  Kate  Stewart :  From  Philadelphia  to  Pen- 
sacola  — A  Colored  Crew  —  Trouble  with  the  Crew 

—  Coasting  Trips  —At  Mobile  —  Fever  on  Board  — 
The  Cook's  Wife— To  Cork  for  Orders  — Cork  — 
Antwerp  —  Chartered  to  Load  for  Genoa  —  Contro- 
versy with  Charterer's  Agent  —  Leave  Antwerp  — 
Obliged  to  Anchor  in  the  Downs  —  Death  of  Little 
Son  —  Embalming  the  Body  —  Genoa  —At  Palermo 

—  Return  to  Philadelphia  —  At  New  Bedford  — 
Burial  of  Child  —  Coasting  Trips  —  Go  to  Rio  de  Ja- 
neiro—  A  Heavy  Gale  —  Experiences — A  Leaky 
Vessel  —  Speak  a  Disabled  Schooner  —  In  Rio  de 
Janeiro  Harbor  —  The  Brig  condemned  and  sold  — 
In  the  Grocery  Business  —  Purchase  an  Interest  in 
Schooner  Lath  Rich. 

When  I  arrived  in  Philadelphia,  at  the  end 
of  my  canal-boat  experience,  the  brig  Kate 
Stewart  of  that  port  was  undergoing  exten- 
sive repairs.  I  took  command  of  her,  and 
when,  in  December,  the  repairs  were  finished, 
she  was  loaded  with  a  cargo  of  coal  for  the 
government,  to  go  to  Pensacola.  After  get- 
ting the  cargo  aboard,  it  was  found  that  the 
brig  leaked  considerably,  and,  in  consequence, 


BOUND   TO  PENSACOLA.  181 

the  crew  that  we  had  shipped  refused  to  sail 
in  her  ;  so  we  were  obliged  to  ship  a  colored 
crew  who  were  in  jail  at  the  time  for  leaving 
a  bark  that  was  bound  to  the  West  Indies. 
On  the  2d  of  January,  1864,  we  took  the 
crew  and  a  pilot  on  board,  and  then  were 
towed  down  the  river  to  Chester,  where  the 
tug  left  us  and  we  proceeded  under  sail.  At 
four  a.  m.  the  pilot  left  us  off  Cape  Henlopen 
with  a  fine  northwest  wind.  During:  the  six 
days  following  nothing  unusual  transpired  ; 
we  were  favored  with  a  succession  of  fair 
winds  and  fine  weather. 

The  9th  of  January  commenced  with  strong 
winds.  At  eleven  a.  m.  the  crew  came  aft 
and  made  a  statement  to  the  effect  that  the 
brig  was  not  seaworthy,  and  also  said  they 
wanted  me  to  go  into  port.  I  asked  them 
where  they  would  like  to  go,  and  they  said 
they  wanted  to  go  into  the  nearest  port. 
Since  we  left  Philadelphia  the  brig  had  made 
some  water,  but  nothing  of  consequence.  I 
told  the  crew  that  we  were  bound  to  Pensa- 
cola,  and  that  I  should  not  go  into  any  other 
port,  and  then  ordered  them  to  go  forward 
to  their  duty.  In  a  few  minutes  the  steward 
came  aft  and  told  me  that  the  men  had 
pistols  in  the  forecastle,  which  was  in  the  for- 


182        IN   THE  BRIG  KATE  STEWART. 

ward  house  on  deck.  I  asked  him  how  he 
knew,  and  he  said  he  had  heard  them  snap- 
ping caps  on  their  pistols.  I  called  the  mates 
into  the  cahin  and  told  them  that  I  wanted 
them  to  go  into  the  forecastle  with  me.  I 
took  my  revolver  and  a  double-barreled  pistol 
and  put  them  in  my  pockets,  and  the  mate 
took  his  revolver.  Then  we  started  for  the 
forward  house.  We  went  into  it,  and  I  told 
the  crew  I  wanted  all  the  pistols  that  they 
had  in  the  forecastle.  They  declared  that 
they  had  none  ;  so  we  went  through  their 
chests  and  found  one  revolver  and  one  single- 
barreled  pistol,  both  of  which  were  loaded. 
The  men  had  been  having  watch  and  watch 
ever  since  leaving  Philadelphia.  At  one  p.  m. 
I  told  the  mate  to  turn  all  hands  to,  and  not 
to  give  them  any  more  watches  below  in  good 
weather ;  and  from  this  time  out  we  had  no 
more  trouble  with  them. 

On  the  morning  of  January  25  we  took  a 
pilot  off  Pensacola,  and  at  eleven  o'clock  went 
alongside  the  dock  in  the  Navy  Yard,  where 
we  laid  two  weeks,  during  which  time  the 
government's  men  were   at  work  discharging 


our  cargo. 


February  10  we  had  our  ballast  on  board, 
and   then    sailed    for    Philadelphia.      During 


ICE  AND   CABBAGES.  183 

the  passage  the  weather  was  boisterous  and 
squally,  especially  while  we  were  coming  up  the 
Gulf  Stream.  We  arrived  at  Cape  Henlopen 
March  2,  took  a  pilot  off  the  breakwater, 
and  reached  Philadelphia  on  the  3d.  Here 
we  loaded  another  cargo  of  coal  for  the  gov- 
ernment, and  on  the  14th  of  March  sailed  for 
Key  West,  which  we  reached  after  a  quick 
run  of  fifteen  days.  We  laid  at  this  port 
twenty  days  before  we  got  discharged  and 
took  our  ballast  on  board,  all  of  which  hav- 
ing been  accomplished,  on  the  23d  of  March 
we  sailed  for  Cardenas,  Cuba,  arriving  there 
the  next  day.  Discharging  our  ballast,  we 
took  in  a  cargfo  of  molasses  and  sailed  for 
Boston,  where  we  arrived  April  22. 

At  Boston  we  chartered  to  load  with  ice 
and  cabbages  for  Mobile.  We  sailed  from 
this  port  on  the  1st  of  June ;  had  light  winds 
and  pleasant  weather  all  the  way,  and  at  five 
o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  July  5  came  to 
anchor  in  Mobile  harbor.  On  the  following 
morning  a  lighter  came  alongside  for  a  load 
of  ice.  After  we  had  discharged  six  lighters 
of  ice  we  were  towed  to  the  wharf,  where  we 
finished  discharging  our  cargo. 

My  wife  was  taken  sick  with  fever  while  on 
shore,  and  several  of  our  crew  also  came  down 


184        IN   THE  BRIG  KATE  STEWART. 

with  fever  and  were  obliged  to  go  to  the  hos- 
pital. One  American  captain  died  in  the 
hospital  while  we  were  there. 

When  we  had  finished  discharging  our  ice, 
we  took  on  board  a  cargo  of  cotton  for  Bos- 
ton. After  loading,  I  had  to  take  a  part  of 
a  crew  out  of  the  hospital,  as  the  sick  of  my 
crew  had  to  be  left  behind.  We  sailed  from 
Mobile  on  the  10th  of  August,  and  when  we 
had  been  three  days  at  sea,  the  crew  began 
to  come  down  with  fever.  On  the  16th  the 
cook  was  prostrated.  We  had  a  French  cabin- 
boy  whom  I  put  into  the  galley  to  make  fires, 
wash  pots  and  pans,  etc.,  while  my  wife  went 
into  the  galley  and  did  all  the  cooking  and 
made  the  gruel  for  the  sick  crew.  Finally 
the  second  mate  was  stricken  with  fever,  and 
then  only  the  mate,  boy,  and  myself  were  left 
to  make  and  take  in  sail.  The  brio1  resfis- 
tered  350  tons,  and  was  very  heavily  sparred, 
so  that  it  was  exceedingly  difficult  for  us  to 
handle  the  sails.  Our  mainsail  being  very 
large,  we  were  compelled  to  put  a  snug  double 
reef  in  it  and  keep  it  in  until  we  arrived  at 
Vineyard  Haven.  With  the  exception  of  the 
second  mate,  our  crew  were  sick  during  the 
entire  voyage.  On  our  arrival  at  Vineyard 
Haven,  which  was  on  the  20th  of  September, 


THE   COOK'S    WIFE.  185 

I  took  the  steamboat  and  went  to  New  Bed- 
ford and  a'ot  four  of  Mr.  Charles  Searells'  riff- 
gers  to  go  with  me  in  the  brig  to  Boston.  We 
left  New  Bedford  on  the  one  o'clock  boat  and 
arrived  on  board  the  brig  in  Vineyard  Haven 
at  four  p.  m.  At  five  o'clock  the  wind  breezed 
up  from  the  southwest,  so  we  got  under 
weigh,  and  at  seven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of 
the  21st  we  took  a  pilot  off  Boston  light,  and 
three  hours  later  were  alongside  the  wharf. 
The  men  whom  I  had  shipped  from  Boston 
took  a  train  and  arrived  at  their  homes  just 
twenty-four  hours  from  New  Bedford.  I  got 
a  hack  and  had  the  cook  taken  to  his  home. 
The  rest  of  the  crew,  however,  were  able  to 
walk  to  their  boarding-house.  The  cook  died 
in  just  one  week  after  he  got  home.  His 
wife  came  on  board  to  see  us,  and  she  told 
Mrs.  Paddack  that  it  was  a  pity  he  did  not  die 
at  sea,  as  it  would  take  nearly  all  his  wages  to 
defray  the  funeral  expenses. 

On  the  20th  of  October  I  received  orders 
from  my  agent  to  take  in  ballast  and  proceed 
to  Philadelphia.  I  shipped  a  crew  and  had 
my  ballast  all  on  board,  and  at  four  o'clock  on 
the  afternoon  of  the  22d  we  took  a  tug  and 
bade  good-by  to  Boston.  We  arrived  at  Phila- 
delphia on  the  26th.     Here  we  discharged  our 


186        IN   THE  BRIG  KATE  STEWART. 

ballast  and  were  then  towed  round  to  Point 
Breeze,  where  we  loaded  a  cargo  of  oil  for 
Cork  for  orders.  My  wife,  child,  and  maid 
came  to  Philadelphia  to  go  on  the  voyage 
with  me.  We  finished  loading  and  got  our 
stores,  crew,  and  pilot  on  board,  and  sailed 
from  Philadelphia  November  14.  We  had 
a  very  good  breeze  down  the  river,  and  left  the 
pilot  at  Cape  Henlopen  at  six  a.  m.  and  went 
to  sea  with  a  strong  northwest  gale.  Fortu- 
nately the  wind  was  fair  all  the  way,  so  on 
the  4th  of  December  we  came  to  anchor  in 
Cork  Harbor.  While  lying  off  Queenstown 
the  butcher  who  supplied  us  with  fresh  pro- 
visions made  me  a  present  of  a  nice  duck,  but 
when  it  was  cooked  I  found  it  to  be  rather 
too  short  for  my  blood ;  but  the  officers  ate  it 
and  thought  it  nice. 

During  our  stay  here  we  had  the  pleasure 
of  going  up  the  river  to  Cork,  which  is  beau- 
tifully and  advantageously  situated  on  an 
island  formed  by  the  river  Lee,  about  eleven 
miles  above  the  entrance  of  Cork  Harbor. 
Cork  is  supposed  to  have  been  founded  by 
the  Danes  in  the  sixth  century.  It  is  the 
third  city  of  Ireland  in  population,  Dublin  and 
Belfast  excelling  it  in  that  respect.  It  has 
many  fine  streets  and  striking    edifices;    the 


ILLNESS   OF  CHILD.  187 

older  part  of  the  city,  however,  is  squalid  in 
the  extreme.  It  has  steam  communication 
with  Dublin,  London,  and  other  of  the  princi- 
pal seaports  of  the  United  Kingdom,  and  en- 
joys an  extensive  trade.  It  is  the  seat  of  both 
Protestant  and  Catholic  bishops.  Its  popula- 
tion, like  that  of  many  other  places  in  Ire- 
land, is  somewhat  smaller  than  at  an  earlier 
period  in  the  century. 

December  8  we  received  orders  to  proceed 
to  Antwerp  and  discharge  our  cargo.  We 
had  moderate  winds  and  fine  weather,  and 
arrived  at  Antwerp  on  the  13th.  We  were 
compelled  to  live  on  shore,  as  we  were  not 
allowed  to  have  any  fires  or  lights  on  board 
ship.  While  here  our  little  boy  was  taken 
sick  with  dropsy  on  the  brain,  caused  by 
teething.  We  had  three  doctors  to  attend 
him,  and  they  all  told  us  that  the  child  could 
not  live. 

After  discharging  our  cargo,  the  brig  was 
chartered  to  load  with  sugar  for  Genoa.  I 
guaranteed  the  brig  to  carry  500  tons  of  dead 
weight,  but  on  being  loaded  I  had  only  450 
tons  of  weight  and  measurement  goods  on 
board.  My  charterer  now  wanted  me  to  de- 
duct $250  from  my  charter.  I  told  him  that 
I  could  not  see  it ;  consequently  we  had  a  law- 


188        IN  THE  BRIG  KATE  STEWART. 

suit,  and  I  gained  the  case,  he  having  all  the 
expenses  to  pay.     Not    being  satisfied,  how- 
ever, he  wrote  to  his  agent  at  Genoa  and  re- 
quested him  to  deduct  the  amount  from  my 
freight.     So  on  my  arrival  there  the  agent  in- 
*  formed  me  that  he  had  orders  to  deduct  it, 
and  I  told  him  that  the  case  had  been  settled 
in  Antwerp  and  that  I  should  not  pay  it.     I 
wrote  him  a  letter  at  the  American  consul's 
office,  requesting  him  to  give  bonds  before  I 
discharged  my  cargo.     He  then  went  before 
the  Board  of  Trade  and  protested  against  my 
holding  the  cargo.     I  was  now  notified  to  ap- 
pear at  the  Board  of  Trade's  rooms.     Taking 
the  brio's  W-book  and  an  old  bill  of  lading 
that  I  found  on  board,  I  went  to  their  rooms, 
and  met  the  charterer's  agent,  who  told  his 
story,  after  which  I  told  mine.     I  was   asked 
how  I  knew  that  the   brig  had   ever    carried 
500  tons   of  dead  weight.     I    produced    my 
loo-book  and  bill  of  lading,  which  showed  that 
the  brio;  had  carried  530  tons  of  coal  for  the 
United  States  government   on    several    occa- 
sions, and  as  a  result  of    this  testimony  the 
case  was  decided  in  my  favor.     On  the  15th 
January,  1865,  the  pilot  came  on  board,  and 
we  hauled  the  brig  out  of  the  dock. 

Antwerp  is  situated  on  the  east  bank  of  the 


ANTWERP.  189 

Scheldt.  It  is  very  strongly  fortified,  espe- 
cially on  the  land  side,  where  the  fortifications 
completely  encompass  the  city,  being  several 
miles  in  extent.  The  citadel  was  built  by  the 
Duke  of  Alva  for  the  purpose  of  overawing 
the  inhabitants.  After  the  decline  of  Venice 
and  Genoa  it  became  one  of  the  most  consid- 
erable commercial  centres  of  Europe.  The 
whole  appearance  of  its  public  buildings, 
streets,  and  houses  affords  the  most  incon- 
testible  evidence  of  its  former  splendor. 
Many  instances  of  the  immense  wealth  of  its 
merchants  are  recorded  :  among  others,  it  is 
said  that  when  Charles  V.  dined  with  one  of 
the  chief  magistrates,  his  host,  immediately 
after  dinner,  threw  into  the  fire  a  bond  for 
two  millions  of  ducats  which  he  had  received 
as  security  for  a  loan  to  that  monarch,  saying 
that  he  was  more  than  repaid  by  the  honor  of 
being  permitted  to  entertain  his  sovereign. 
While  in  port  my  wife  and  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  visiting  the  Church  of  St.  James,  which 
contains  the  tomb  of  the  great  Rubens.  It 
is  of  black  marble,  simple  in  design,  but  most 
appropriately  adorned  with  one  of  that  mas- 
ter's own  paintings.  The  windows  of  this 
church  are  much  admired. 

We  left  Antwerp  on  the  15th  of  January, 


190        IN   THE  BRIG  KATE  STEWART. 

and  went  down  the  river  to  Flushing,  and 
sailed  from  there  on  the  20th,  with  a  fine 
southeast  wind  which  carried  us  across  the 
North  Sea,  when  we  took  a  westerly  gale  and 
were  obliged  to  anchor  in  the  Downs,  where 
we  laid  for  three  weeks,  waiting  for  a  chance 
to  go  down  the  English  Channel.  While  lying 
here  a  Philadelphia  brig  dragged  her  anchors 
and  went  against  the  bridge  and  was  dis- 
masted. After  the  gale  abated  she  was  towed 
into  Dover  and  repaired.  As  our  little  one 
continued  to  grow  worse,  I  went  on  shore  for 
medical  aid.  I  returned  with  a  physician, 
who,  although  he  prescribed  for  the  child, 
could  give  us  no  hope  for  his  recovery. 

February  11  we  took  a  fine  breeze  from 
the  eastward  and  proceeded  down  the  English 
Channel.  Nothing  material  transpired  until 
the  morning  of  the  18th,  when  our  little  one 
passed  away.  We  could  not  bear  the  thought 
of  committing  the  body  to  the  deep,  accord- 
ing: to  the  usual  custom  when  a  death  occurs 
at  sea,  so  I  padded  a  barrel  inside  and  con- 
fined the  body  of  our  darling  in  such  a  way 
that  the  motion  of  the  vessel  could  not  disturb 
it.  I  then  took  the  salt  from  three  barrels 
of  beef  and  made  a  strong  pickle  and  filled 
the  barrel,  in  the  hope  that  we  might  be  able 


GENOA.  191 

to  keep  the  body  until  our  arrival  at  Genoa, 
where  I  intended  to  purchase  a  barrel  of  rum 
to  be  used  in  preserving  it  during  the  passage 
home  ;  but  when  we  reached  Genoa  we  found 
the  body  so  well  preserved  that  we  decided 
not  to  disturb  it. 

On  the  2d  of  March  we  arrived  at  Genoa. 
While  at  this  port  we  had  a  nice  marble  mon- 
ument made,  to  be  placed  over  the  graves  of 
our  three  children. 

Genoa  is  a  beautiful  city  and  seaport,  dis- 
tinguished for  its  trading  importance  as  far 
back  as  the  eleventh  century,  at  about  which 
period  it  began  to  take  under  its  protection 
the  towns  and  territory  of  the  adjoining 
coast.  Many  of  the  houses  in  the  principal 
streets  are  adorned  with  marble  porticoes,  and 
several  of  the  churches  are  beautiful  speci- 
mens of  architecture,  their  interior  decorations 
being  exceedingly  tasteful  and  rich.  Genoa 
is  the  see  of  an  archbishop  and  the  seat  of.  a 
university  with  a  valuable  library.  It  has  a 
nautical  school  and  other  public  schools.  It 
is  particularly  distinguished  for  its  manufac- 
tures of  silks  and  velvets,  and  its  works  in 
gold,  silver,  and  marble  are  highly  esteemed. 

We  left  Genoa  on  the  22d  of  March,  in 
ballast,  for  Palermo,  where  we  arrived  five  days 


192        IN   THE  BRIG  KATE  STEWART. 

later.  On  the  14th  of  April,  our  cargo  being  all 
on  board,  we  hauled  out  to  the  buoy,  and  after 
bidding  adieu  to  the  friends  who  had  come  on 
board  to  see  us  off,  we  let  go  from  the  buoy 
and  with  a  light  wind  sailed  out  of  the  harbor 
of  Palermo,  bound  to  Philadelphia.  On  the 
16th  we  passed  the  south  end  of  Sardinia,  and 
on  the  25th  we  also  passed  the  rock  of  Gibral- 
tar, with  a  fine  wind  from  the  eastward.  We 
had  a  fine  run  across  to  Philadelphia  in  forty- 
two  days,  arriving  at  Cape  Henlopen  on  the 
26th  of  May.  At  six  o'clock  on  the  morning 
of  that  day  we  took  the  pilot  on  board,  and  at 
four  o'clock  on  the  following:  morning:  came 
to  anchor  off  the  Market  Street  Wharf,  into 
which  we  hauled  a  little  later,  and  discharged 
our  crew. 

Captain  Lot  Gibbs  of  New  Bedford,  who 
was  in  command  of  the  schooner  Cohasset, 
happened  to  be  in  port,  and  hearing  of  our 
arrival,  came  on  board  to  see  us.  When  he 
learned  of  the  death  of  our  little  one,  and 
was  told  that  we  had  the  body  with  us,  he 
kindly  offered  to  take  it  to  New  Bedford  for 
us.  So  on  the  following  day  I  placed  it  on 
board  the  schooner,  and  my  wife  and  I  took 
the  train  for  New  Bedford.  On  the  arrival 
of    the    schooner,  the   undertaker  who   took 


VARIOUS  VOYAGES.  193 

charge  of  the  body  was  surprised  to  find  how 
well  it  had  been  preserved,  and  thought  the 
embalming  process  had  proved  a  complete 
success.  After  the  burial  I  returned  to  Phila- 
delphia to  attend  to  my  business. 

When  we  were  ready  to  load  we  took  on 
board  a  cargo  of  coal  for  Boston,  sailing  from 
Philadelphia  June  15,  and  reaching  Boston 
on  the  21st.  After  discharging1  our  coal,  we 
proceeded  in  ballast  to  Cow  Bay,  Cape  Breton, 
for  a  load  of  coal  for  the  gas  company  in  New 
York.  We  arrived  there  June  29,  but  had 
to  remain  at  anchor  ten  days  before  we  could 
have  our  turn  under  the  chute.  We  finally 
succeeded  in  getting  our  cargo  on  board,  and 
sailed  from  that  port  on  the  15th  of  July  for 
New  York,  where  we  arrived  on  the  8th  of 
August.  On  the  15th  we  finished  discharging 
our  cargo,  and  then  the  brig  was  chartered 
to  a  firm  to  run  between  New  York  and  Mo- 
bile on  a  monthly  charter.  Soon  after  getting 
into  our  berth  the  charterer  failed,  and  I  was 
ordered  to  Philadelphia  with  the  brig,  where 
we  arrived  on  the  10th  of  September.  After 
remaining  here  for  some  little  time,  the  agent, 
Mr.  E.  A.  Souder,  chartered  us  to  take  a 
cargo  out  of  a  condemned  bark  to  go  to 
Havre.     We  had   got  about  a  third  of  the 


194        IN  THE  BRIG  KATE  STEWART. 

cargo  on  board  when  the  agent  decided  to 
charter  another  bark,  which  came  alongside 
of  us  and  took  from  us  that  portion  of  our 
cargo  which  we  had  already  shipped.  After 
remaining  at  the  wharf  some  time,  we  were 
chartered  to  take  a  load  of  coal  to  Rio  de  Ja- 
neiro for  the  United  States  government.  We 
loaded  the  brig,  but  the  weather  being  very 
cold  we  were  frozen  in  at  the  wharf,  and 
were  obliged  to  remain  there  for  three  weeks. 
At  the  end  of  that  time,  however,  we  took 
the  crew  and  pilot  on  board,  and  on  the  27th 
of  December,  in  convoy  of  a  tug,  proceeded 
down  the  bay.  At  Cape  Henlopen  the  tug 
left  us,  and  with  a  good  northwest  wind  we 
went  to  sea.  We  had  a  fine  run  across  the 
Gulf  Stream,  nothing  material  occurring. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  state  here  that  on 
board  merchantmen,  on  every  occasion  when 
it  is  necessary  to  reef  or  take  in  sail,  or  when- 
ever there  is  any  extra  duty  to  be  done,  all 
the  ship's  company  is  obliged  to  be  at  work  ; 
and  I  have  known  all  hands  to  be  called  half 
a  dozen  times  in  a  watch. 

On  the  2d  of  January,  1866,  we  were  well 
to  the  southeast  of  the  Gulf  Stream,  and  run- 
ning with  all  sail  set.  In  the  course  of  the 
day  the  wind  hauled  to  the  southeast,  and  at 


A    STRONG   GALE.  195 

six  P.  M.  it  freshened  and  we  had  to  take  in 
our  light  sails.  At  eight  o'clock  we  double- 
reefed  the  mainsail  and  sino-le-reefed  the  fore- 
topsail.  The  wind  continued  to  increase 
until  at  midnight  it  blew  a  strong  gale,  which 
obliged  us  to  close-reef  all  our  sails.  At  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning  all  hands  were  called 
to  take  in  the  topsail  and  heave  the  ship  to, 
the  sea  at  the  time  running?  mountains  hmli. 
At  five  o'clock  we  shipped  a  tremendous  sea, 
which  swept  our  decks  of  everything  movable 
and  carried  away  our  lee  bulwarks,  also  a 
barrel  of  beef  and  one  of  pork  out  of  the 
galley.  The  pumps  were  sounded  and  it  was 
found  that  the  brig  was  making  water.  We 
immediately  manned  the  pumps,  and  after 
pumping  for  some  time  we  again  sounded 
them  and  found  that  there  were  three  feet  of 
water  in  the  hold.  It  was  very  difficult  for 
the  men  to  remain  at  the  pumps,  owing  to 
the  large  quantity  of  water  on  the  deck. 
When  the  pumps  were  sounded  again  the 
water  had  increased  to  five  feet.  I  then  took 
one  man  aft  with  me  and  got  the  long  boat 
ready,  so  that  we  could  leave  the  brig  when- 
ever we  found  she  was  going  to  sink.  When 
the  boat  was  made  ready  I  sent  a  man  down 
through  the  cabin  into  the   hold   of  the  brig 


196        IN   THE  BRIG  KATE  STEWART. 

with  some  buckets,  which  he  was  to  fill  with 
coal  and  pass  to  my  wife,  and  she  would  pass 
them  to  me  to  empty,  as  I  thought  that  if  we 
could  lighten  the  bri^  a  little  the  leak  mio-ht 
be  lessened.  The  gale  lasted  forty-eight  hours, 
during  which  time  we  threw  overboard  twenty- 
two  tons  of  coal,  as  we  found  there  was  that 
amount  short  when  the  cargo  was  weighed 
at  Rio  de  Janeiro.  We  finally  succeeded  in 
pumping  the  brig  out,  but  could  not  at  any 
time  during  the  rest  of  the  passage  allow  the 
pumps  to  stand  idle  more  than  half  an  hour 
at  a  time.  We  tried  to  reach  Bermuda,  but 
as  the  gales  were  from  southwest  to  west,  we 
were  compelled  to  run  the  brig  before  the 
wind,  as  she  washed  so  badly.  We  afterwards 
had  several  gales,  but  at  no  time  did  we  en- 
counter such  a  heavy  sea  as  the  one  I  have 
just  described.  As  soon  as  we  got  into  fine 
weather  we  nailed  some  boards  on  the  injured 
side  of  our  vessel,  which  kept  the  water  in  a 
o-reat  measure  off  the  deck. 

On  the  morning  of  January  10  we  were 
running  to  the  southeast  with  all  sail  set, 
when  we  discovered  a  small  schooner  right 
ahead  of  us,  hove  to  under  a  three-reefed 
mainsail,  her  foremast  being  gone  about  eight 
feet  above  the  deck,  and  her  flag  flying  from 


%  >, 


yff, 


=__ — ■■■ 

MRS.    MARY   I.   PADDACK 


A    DISABLED   SCHOONER.  197 

the  main  peak  union  down.  We  ran  down  and 
spoke  her.  The  captain  said  he  was  from 
Bangor,  and  bound  to  the  West  Indies.  I 
asked  him  if  he  wanted  to  be  taken  off,  but 
he  said  No ;  he  was  going  to  try  and  get 
into  Bermuda.  I  told  him  that  it  would  be 
impossible  for  him  to  get  there,  as  he  was  a 
long  way  to  the  eastward  of  the  islands,  but 
that  I  would  lay  by  him  and  take  him  off. 
However,  he  still  declined  my  offer,  so  I  gave 
him  the  longitude,  and,  bidding  him  good- 
morning,  made  all  sail  and  stood  on  our 
course. 

We  now  took  the  northeast  trades  and 
had  fine  weather  and  continued  to  run  to  the 
southward ;  as  we  approached  the  equator, 
being  in  6°  north  latitude,  the  wind  became 
lighter  and  variable  and  the  weather  squally. 
At  noon  on  the  28th  of  February  we  crossed 
the  line  in  28°  30'  west  longitude,  making  the 
passage  in  thirty  days  from  Cape  Henlopen. 
The  wind  continued  to  freshen  and  draw 
round  to  the  southeast,  which  gave  us  a  fine 
run  down  the  coast.  On  the  15th  of  March 
we  made  the  land,  and  at  four  p.  M.  came  to 
anchor  in  Rio  de  Janeiro  harbor.  After  the 
usual  custom-house  visit,  I  went  on  shore, 
called  on  my  agent,  and  then  at  the  American 


198        IN  THE  BRIG  KATE  STEWART. 

consul's  office,  where  I  delivered  my  papers 
and  noted  a  protest.  The  next  morning  we 
had  a  survey  on  board,  and  then  towed  to  a 
small  island  in  the  middle  of  the  bay  and  dis- 
charged our  coal.  After  discharging  we  had 
another  survey  on  the  vessel,  and  found  her 
to  be  leaking  at  the  same  rate  as  she  did 
when  loaded,  and  also  found  that  she  had 
worked  very  bad,  and  had  worked  the  fasten- 
ing out  of  the  deck,  — in  fact,  she  was  a  com- 
plete  wreck,  and  the  surveyors  expressed  their 
surprise  at  our  being  able  to  reach  port.  I 
advertised  for  tenders  for  the  repairs  of  the 
brig,  but  the  estimates  received  were  so  high 
—  $18,000  in  gold  being  the  most  favorable 
estimate  —  that  I  decided  to  condemn  her 
and  sell  her  at  public  auction  for  the  benefit 
of  whom  it  might  concern.  We  stripped  her 
and  sold  everything  separately  at  auction, 
and  the  hull  was  hauled  up  on  the  beach  and 
broken  up  for  firewood. 

After  settling  my  business,  my  wife  and  I 
took  passage  on  board  the  bark  Acquidneck 
of  Baltimore,  Captain  Cheseborongh.  We 
came  home  in  thirty-two  days.  After  remain- 
ing at  home  for  some  time  I  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business,  at  which  I  continued  for  one 
year,  and  then  came   out  of  it  with  a  heavy 


SCHOONER   LATH  RICH.  199 

loss.  I  then  went  to  New  York  and  pur- 
chased a  half  interest  in  the  schooner  Lath 
Rich,  and  in  her  made  several  voyages  to  the 
West  Indies  and  coastwise. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

West  Indian  Voyages :  From  New  Bedford  to  St. 
Michael's  in  Schooner  Lath  Rich  —  Heavy  Gale  — 
Mate  washed  Overboard  —  Put  into  Fayal  for  Re- 
pairs —  Hurricane  —  In  Collision  with  a  Steamer  — 
Loss  of  the  Schooner  —  In  Brig  Herald  for  Nova 
Scotia  —  Surinam  River  —  Dutch  Guiana  —  Take 
Charge  of  a  German  Brig  —  St.  Lucia  —  Martinique 

—  Bermuda  —  Barbadoes  — Port  of  Spain,  Trinidad 

—  Bark  Ada  Carter  —  Brunswick,  Ga.  —  Trinidad  — 
Fort  de  France,  Martinique  —  In  Business  in  Antigua 

—  Schooner  Lemuel  Hall  —  Hamburg. 

In  November,  1870,  I  chartered  to  take  a 
load  of  lumber  from  New  Bedford  to  St. 
Michael's,  one  of  the  Western  Islands,  and 
then  return  to  Boston  with  a  cargo  of  fruit. 
After  getting  our  lumber  on  board  and  sev- 
eral passengers,  we  shipped  a  crew  and  sailed 
from  New  Bedford,  about  the  middle  of  No- 
vember, with  a  fine  northwest  wind.  Nothing 
of  consequence  happened  until  on  the  after- 
noon of  the  22d,  while  running  in  a  heavy 
westerly  gale,  when  a  heavy  sea  boarded  the 
schooner,  washing  overboard  the  mate,  Mr. 
Butts  of  New  Bedford,  the   steward,   and  a 


MATE  WASHED   OVERBOARD.  201 

dog.  The  crew  and  passengers  were  all  on 
deck  at  the  time.  "We  immediately  brought 
the  schooner  to  the  wind  and  cleared  away  a 
boat,  and  I  went  at  once  to  the  main  mast- 
head to  aid  in  the  search  ;  but  we  never  saw 
the  mate  again.  The  steward  caught  hold 
of  the  running  rigging  as  he  was  going  over- 
board, and  we  saved  him.  The  dog  we  saw 
but  once  after  he  went  overboard.  We  laid 
by  until  midnight,  when  we  kept  the  schooner 
off  on  her  course  again,  and  things  went  on 
in  the  usual  way  during  the  next  eight  days. 
The  wind  continued  strong  from  the  west- 
ward, and  on  the  morning  of  the  30th  we 
carried  away  our  bobstay,  and  came  near 
being  dismasted.  However,  we  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  a  tackle  on  it  and  securing 
it.  On  the  3d  of  December  we  arrived  at 
Fayal.  After  mooring  the  schooner  I  went 
on  shore,  visited  the  consul's  office,  where  I 
noted  a  protest,  and  got  a  blacksmith  to  take 
our  bobstay  on  shore  and  repair  it. 

On  the  5th,  having  completed  our  repairs, 
we  made  arrangements  to  sail  at  daylight  the 
next  morning.  Owing  to  the  heavy  swell 
that  was  coming  in  from  the  sea,  the  pas- 
sengers and  myself  were  unable  to  get  on 
board  the  schooner.     So  we  had  to  remain  on 


202  WEST  INDIAN  VOYAGES. 

shore  during  the  night.  The  Portuguese 
steamer's  passengers  also  had  to  remain  on 
shore  over  night.  At  eleven  p.  m.  the  wind 
came  in  from  the  S.  S.  W.,  and  blew  a  per- 
fect hurricane,  and  our  schooner  swung  round 
under  the  steamer's  bow.  My  mate  paid  out 
all  the  chain  that  he  could  so  as  to  prevent 
our  vessel  dragging.  The  steamer's  people 
did  the  same.  By  midnight  there  was  a  tre- 
mendous sea  running  in,  when  our  vessel 
picked  up  her  anchor  and  went  broadside  into 
the  iron  steamer's  bow,  cutting  her  side  from 
the  water's  edge  in  to  the  main  hatch.  The 
two  vessels  came  together  in  this  way  four 
times,  the  schooner  being  cut  nearly  to  the 
water's  edge  every  time  the  steamer  struck 
her.  The  last  blow  started  the  schooner's 
stern  frame.  The  steamer  then  slipped  her 
chains  and  ran  round  to  the  lee  side  of  the 
island,  where  she  remained  until  the  next 
morning,  when  she  returned,  picked  up  her 
chains,  took  her  passengers  on  board,  and 
sailed  for  St.  Michael's.  When  the  steamer 
was  clear  of  our  vessel  the  mate  got  some 
canvas  and  boards  and  patched  up  her  broken 
side.  About  half  an  hour  after  these  hap- 
penings the  wind  changed  to  the  westward 
and  the  weather  became  fine. 


WRECK   OF  THE  LATH  RICH.  203 

At  daylight  I  went  to  the  wharf,  where  I 
found  my  passengers  waiting  to  go  on  board. 
We  all  went  off  to  the  schooner,  but  on  get- 
ting- alongside  we  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
our  voyage  was  ended,  for  the  schooner  had 
listed  over,  and  her  port  side  from  stem  to 
stern  presented  a  shocking  appearance.  We 
went  on  board  and  ascertained  all  the  par- 
ticulars of  the  disaster,  and  then  returned  on 
shore,  when  I  called  on  Mr.  Samuel  Dabney, 
the  American  consul,  and  gave  him  a  full  ac- 
count of  what  had  happened.  As  he  was  just 
going  to  breakfast,  he  gave  me  a  kind  invita- 
tion to  breakfast  with  him,  which  I  accepted. 
After  breakfast  we  went  to  his  office,  noted  a 
protest,  and  then  got  a  carpenter,  a  captain, 
and  the  captain  of  the  port,  who  with  Mr. 
Dabney  and  myself  went  on  board  to  hold 
a  survey.  As  soon  as  we  got  on  board  and 
had  ascertained  the  amount  of  the  damage 
done,  the  carpenter  said  that  the  schooner 
could  not  be  repaired  at  Fayal,  as  there  was  no 
railway,  and  she  could  not  be  hove  down  at 
that  time  of  the  year ;  for  she  had  got  to  have 
a  whole  new  port  side  put  on  her,  so  there 
was  nothing  to  do  but  to  condemn  her  and 
sell  her  at  auction.  There  was  a  little  white 
pine  lumber  on  board  which  we  transferred  to 


204  WEST  INDIAN  VOYAGES. 

a  small  brig  bound  to  St.  Michael's.  We  then 
stripped  the  vessel  of  all  movables,  which  we 
took  on  shore  and  sold.  The  hull  was  sold  as 
it  laid  at  anchor,  and  was  afterwards  hauled 
up  on  the  beach  and  broken  up  for  firewood. 
This  proved  to  be  a  poor  investment  for  me, 
as  I  unfortunately  owned  seventeen  thirty- 
seconds  of  the  schooner,  and  was  only  par- 
tially insured. 

After  settling  up  my  business,  I  went  to 
St.  Michael's  in  the  Portuguese  steamer,  and 
there  took  the  English  steamer  Alexandria  to 
New  York,  where  we  arrived  on  the  20th  of 
February,  1871. 

I  took  the  command  of  the  brig  Herald  of 
Marion  and  sailed  from  New  Bedford  about 
the  10th  of  May,  for  Sheet  Harbor,  Nova 
Scotia,  arriving  there  on  the  20th.  After 
loading  with  lumber,  we  sailed  from  that  port 
on  the  10th  of  June,  bound  to  the  Surinam 
River,  Dutch  Guiana.  During  the  first  part 
of  the  voyage  we  had  strong  winds  and  squally 
weather ;  after  we  took  the  northeast  trades, 
however,  we  had  fine  weather.  We  arrived 
off  the  lightship  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  on 
the  30th  of  June,  where  the  pilot  boarded  us. 
At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  came  to 
anchor  in  seven  fathoms  of  water. 


MY    DAUGHTER    AS    SHE    APPEARED    ON    OUR 
VOYAGE    TO   THE    SURINAM    RIVER 


DUTCH  GUIANA.  205 

I  omitted  to  say  that    my  wife   and    little 
daughter  accompanied  me  on  this  voyage.    As 
we  were  going  up  the  river  an  incident  oc- 
curred which  caused  the  child  the  greatest  sor- 
row she  had  ever  experienced.     Before  leav- 
ing home  she  was  presented  with  a  beautiful 
doll,  which  had  been  kept  very  sacred  during 
the  voyage.     Her  mother,  while  preparing  to 
go  on  shore,  gave  the  little  girl  this  doll  to 
amuse  her,  and  she  carried  it  to  the  rail  to 
give  it  a  walk,  when  it  fell  overboard,  which 
was  the  last  seen  of  poor  dolly.     She  immedi- 
ately ran  into  the  cabin,  and  taking  up  her  old 
doll,  which  was  lying  on  the  floor,  cried  out, 
"  Oh,  Susie  !  oh,  Susie !  your  sister  's  fell  over- 
board !  ' 

Dutch  Guiana,  or  Surinam,  as  it  is  some- 
times called,  is  a  colony  belonging  to  the 
Netherlands,  the  principal  river  of  which  is 
the  Surinam  about  300  miles  long.  It  has 
an  area  of  over  46,000  square  miles.  It  was 
ceded  to  the  Dutch  by  the  English,  for  the 
Province  of  New  York,  in  1774.  It  was  taken 
by  the  English  in  1799,  but  was  restored  in 
1814.  The  capital  is  Paramaribo.  Its  pro- 
ductions are  fruits,  indigo,  sugar,  tobacco, 
gums,  and  wood  for  dyeing.  The  country 
abounds  in  game  and  singular  animals  of  van- 


206  WEST  INDIAN  VOYAGES. 

ous  kinds,  the  toad,  in  particular,  being  re- 
markable for  its  enormous  size  and  ugly  ap- 
pearance. The  forests  are  full  of  monkeys, 
and  it  is  said  there  are  serpents  eighty  feet 
long.  Here  is  found  the  phalanger,  or  Suri- 
nam rat,  an  animal  about  the  size  of  a  small 
rabbit. 

After  discharging  our  lumber  we  loaded  a 
cargo  of  sugar  for  New  York.  At  Paramaribo 
we  purchased  monkeys,  parrots,  terrapin, 
Guinea  pigs,  etc.  We  sailed  on  July  31,  and 
had  steady  winds  and  fine  weather  until  the 
3d  of  August,  when,  running  along  under  the 
lee  of  Barbadoes,  with  all  sail  set,  the  fore- 
topmast  came  down  by  the  run,  tearing  the 
fore-topsail  and  foresail.  After  clearing  away 
the  wreck,  we  kept  off  and  ran  into  Marti- 
nique, where  we  arrived  on  the  4th.  Here 
the  brig  was  repaired  and  sent  home  in 
charge  of  the  mate,  while  I  remained  behind 
to  take  charge  of  a  German  brig.  We  fitted 
her  out,  took  in  a  cargo  of  sugar,  and  sailed 
for  Baltimore,  which  we  reached  on  the  20th 
of  October.  When  our  cargo  was  discharged 
we  put  the  brig  in  first-class  order  and  loaded 
a  general  car^o  for  St.  Lucia,  where  we  dis- 
charged,  took  in  ballast,  and  went  over  to  Mar- 
tinique, and  loaded  with  sugar  for  New  York. 


MARTINIQUE.  207 

Martinique  is  50  miles  long  and  18  broad. 
There  are  in  the  interior  of  the  island  high 
mountains  covered  with  trees,  and  many  fer- 
tile valleys.  Numerous  streams  flow  from  the 
mountains.  The  chief  products  are  sugar, 
cotton,  ginger,  indigo,  chocolate,  aloes,  pi- 
mento, plantains,  and  other  tropical  fruits. 
The  island  is  extremely  populous.  It  has  sev- 
eral safe  and  commodious  harbors  which  are 
well  fortified.  It  was  taken  by  the  English 
in  1794  and  1809,  but  was  finally  restored 
to  France  in  1815.  In  1806  it  suffered  great 
damage  by  a  tremendous  hurricane.  Fort  de 
France  is  the  capital. 

We  sailed  from  Martinique  on  the  20th  of 
January,  1872,  and  arrived  at  New  York  on 
the  8th  of  February.  Here  we  chartered  to 
take  a  load  to  Bermuda,  and  then  to  take  a 
cargo  from  a  bark  that  had  been  dismasted 
during  a  hurricane  and  forward  it  to  Barba- 
does.  We  sailed  from  New  York  on  the  3d 
of  March,  arriving  at  Bermuda  on  the  9th, 
and  reaching  Martinique  on  the  31st. 

The  Bermuda  or  Somers  Islands  were  dis- 
covered by  Juan  Bermudez  in  1527  ;  but  they 
were  first  colonized  by  Admiral  Sir  George 
Somers,  who  was  shipwrecked  here  in  1609, 
on  his  way  to  Virginia.     They  lie  580  miles 


208  WEST  INDIAN  VOYAGES. 

southeast  of  Cape  Hatteras,  which  is  the  near- 
est point  of  mainland  to  them.  They  abound 
in  cedar  wood,  with  which  a  number  of  small 
vessels  are  built.  The  soil  is  poor,  and  the 
principal  productions  are  onions  and  pota- 
toes, which  are  grown  in  large  quantities  for 
the  New  York  market.  Hamilton,  on  Long 
Island,  is  the  capital  and  principal  town. 

We  arrived  at  Barbadoes  on  the  15th  of 
April,  discharged  our  cargo,  and  took  in  bal- 
last and  sailed  for  Martinique  on  the  25th. 

Barbadoes  is  25  miles  lonof  and  15  broad. 
The  soil  is  highly  cultivated,  and  yields 
most  of  the  productions  common  to  the  cli- 
mate, but  the  chief  object  of  culture  is  the 
sugar-cane,  the  principal  exports  being  sugar, 
molasses,  and  rum.  Violent  tornadoes  occur 
here.  The  island  suffered  greatly  on  the  10th 
of  October,  1780,  when  upwards  of  4,000  per- 
sons perished.  It  has  a  population  of  about 
185,000.  The  principal  towns  are  Bridge- 
town (the  capital)   and  Speightstown. 

On  the  26th  of  April  we  arrived  at  Marti- 
nique, where  we  loaded  with  sugar  and  sailed 
for  Baltimore  on  May  20,  at  which  port  we 
arrived  June  8.  After  discharging,  we  loaded 
a  general  cargo  for  Port  of  Spain,  Trinidad, 
and  sailed  on  the  6th  of  July,  arriving  at  our 


FROM  BALTIMORE    TO  MARTINIQUE.     209 

destination  on  the  26th.  Here  we  found  the 
small-pox  raging.  We  next  went  to  Balti- 
more with  a  cargo  of  sugar,  sailing  on  the 
20th  of  August.  We  had  very  light  winds 
most  of  the  passage  and  did  not  reach  Balti- 
more until  the  12th  of  September.  We  left 
Baltimore  for  Martinique  on  the  5th  of  Octo- 
ber and  arrived  there  on  the  20th.  After 
discharging  our  cargo  we  took  in  ballast  and 
sailed  from  that  port  for  Bermuda,  to  look 
after  a  brig  belonging  to  the  same  employ 
that  had  arrived  there  in  distress.  On  the 
30th  of  October  we  were  at  Bermuda,  where 
we  remained  for  three  weeks.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  we  sailed  for  Baltimore,  which  we 
reached  on  the  1st  of  November,  and  sailed 
again  for  Martinique  on  the  morning  of  the 
20th  of  November  with  a  general  cargo,  arriv- 
ing there  December  8.  After  discharging, 
we  loaded  a  cargo  of  sugar  for  New  York  and 
arrived  there  on  the  4th  of  January,  1873. 
Here  we  again  loaded  a  general  cargo  for 
Martinique.  After  making  three  more  voy- 
ages to  the  West  Indies  I  gave  the  brig  into 
the  charge  of  the  mate,  who  took  command  of 
her  in  Baltimore  and  sailed  for  Martinique  as 
her  captain  August  15,  at  which  lime  my 
wife,  daughter,  and  myself  came  home. 


210  WEST  INDIAN  VOYAGES. 

After  remaining  at  home  for  one  week,  I 
went  to  New  York  and  purchased  an  interest 
in  the  bark  Ada  Carter,  and  chartered  her  to 
go  to  Brunswick,  Georgia,  to  load  with  lum- 
ber for  Trinidad.  We  took  in  ballast  and 
sailed  from  New  York  on  the  10th  of  Septem- 
ber, and  on  the  15th,  when  to  the  southward 
of  Cape  Hatteras,  we  took  a  tremendous  hur- 
ricane which  lasted  about  fifteen  hours.  Dur- 
ing the  gale  we  lost  a  new  fore-topmast  stay- 
sail. On  the  following  day  we  fell  in  with  a 
lumber-loaded  brig,  water-logged  and  aban- 
doned, but  could  not  ascertain  her  name.  We 
arrived  at  Brunswick  on  the  20th.  One  day 
while  the  bark  was  lying  at  the  railroad  pier 
to  receive  her  cargo,  my  wife  and  little  daugh- 
ter undertook  to  go  ashore  over  one  of  the 
tracks  which  was  built  out  above  the  water. 
When  they  were  about  half  way  to  the  shore, 
the  child  fell  between  the  sleepers,  pulling 
her  mother  after  her.  My  wife  fell  with  con- 
siderable force  across  one  of  the  sleepers,  in 
such  a  position  that  she  was  helpless  to  extri- 
cate either  herself  or  the  child.  Fortunately 
they  were  seen  by  some  people  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, who  rescued  them  from  their  un- 
pleasant situation,  and  helped  them  back  to 
the  vessel.     We  left  Brunswick  on  the  18th 


TRINIDAD.  l!ll 

of  October.  The  wind,  which  continued 
steady  from  the  westward,  ran  us  into  the 
northeast  trades,  and  after  a  pleasant  passage 
of  fifteen  days  we  arrived  at  San  Fernando, 
Trinidad.  After  discharging  our  cargo,  we 
took  in  ballast  and  on  the  31st  of  November 
sailed  for  Navassa. 

Trinidad  is  separated  from  the  coast  of 
Venezuela  by  a  channel  10  miles  wide,  and 
from  Cumana,  on  the  west,  by  the  gulf  of 
Paria,  the  northern  entrance  to  which  is  called 
Boca  del  Drago  (Dragon's  Mouth)  on  account 
of  the  adverse  currents  and  tempestuous  waves 
encountered  here  by  Columbus  in  1498.  It 
is  90  miles  long  and  50  broad.  It  produces 
sugar,  molasses,  rum,  cocoa,  and  cocoanuts,  in 
addition  to  various  kinds  of  timber  and  fruits. 
The  climate  is  less  unhealthy  than  many  other 
West  India  Islands.  It  was  taken  from  the 
Spaniards  in  1595  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  and 
in  1676  came  into  possession  of  the  French, 
who  ceded  it  to  the  English  in  1797.  The 
capital  is  Port  of  Spain. 

December  7  we  reached  Navassa.  where  we 
took  in  a  cargo  of  rock  for  Baltimore.  On 
the  17th  we  sailed  for  Long  Island  to  pur- 
chase water,  as  we  were  unable  to  gel  any  at 
Navassa.     Watered,  and  sailed   for  Baltimore, 


212  WEST  INDIAN  VOYAGES. 

where  we  arrived  on  the  10th  of  January, 
1874.  We  sailed  again,  with  a  load  of  coal, 
on  the  31st  of  January  for  Fort  de  France, 
with  a  fine  breeze  from  the  northeast.  On 
the  following  morning  at  four  o'clock  the  pilot 
left  us  off  Cape  Henry,  the  wind  being  from 
the  northwest ;  crew  employed  in  stowing 
anchors  and  clearing  up  the  decks.  February 
15,  nothing  material  having  occurred  during' 
the  past  two  weeks,  we  found  ourselves  draw- 
ing up  with  the  island  of  Martinique,  and 
preparations  were  made  to  go  into  port,  such 
as  bending  and  overhauling  a  range  of  chain, 
etc.  On  the  16th,  at  eight  a.  m.  the  lookout 
gave  the  welcome  cry  of  "  Land  ho  !  "  and  at 
six  p.  m.  we  took  a  pilot  on  board.  At  seven 
o'clock  we  came  to  anchor  at  Fort  de  France, 
and  the  next  morning  hauled  in  alongside  the 
wharf  and  discharged  our  cargo  :  then  taking 
100  tons  of  ballast  on  board,  March  2  we 
sailed  for  Cardenas.  The  weather  being  fine 
and  having  good  northeast  trades,  we  had  a 
good  run  to  Cardenas,  arriving  there  on  the 
12th.  Here  we  loaded  with  sugar  for  Bal- 
timore,  sailing  on  the  7th  of  April  and  arriv- 
ing in  Baltimore  on  the  18th.  After  dis- 
charging our  cargo  I  sold  a  part  of  my  interest 
in  the  bark  to  a  captain  who  took  command 


SCHOONER   LEMUEL   HALL.  213 

of  her,  and  I  came  home  and  purchased  a 
half  interest  in  a  small  schooner  to  go  on  a 
trading-  voyage.  I  made  two  voyages  in  her 
to  the  West  Indies,  and  then  sold  her. 

I  next  went  into  the  ice  business  in  An- 
tigua, but  after  remaining  there  twelve  months, 
and  paying  dear  for  my  experience,  having 
lost  260  tons  of  ice  out  of  a  cargo  of  280 
tons,  which  loss  was  caused  by  a  defect  in  the 
ice-house,  I  took  passage  in  a  schooner  to  St. 
Kitts,  where  I  remained  two  months,  and  then 
came  home.  Afterwards,  I  took  command 
of  the  schooner  Lemuel  Hall  for  a  voyage  to 
Europe.  We  sailed  from  Vineyard  Haven  in 
October,  and  called  at  Queenstown  for  orders. 
We  had  a  very  good  run  across,  arriving  there 
on  the  10th  of  November.  After  remaining; 
at  Queenstown  three  days,  we  received  our 
orders  to  proceed  to  Hamburg.  While  we 
were  waiting  for  our  orders  a  New  York 
steamer  ran  into  us  and  carried  away  our  jib- 
boom,  which  caused  a  delay  of  two  days  more. 
When  our  repairs  were  finished  we  sailed,  and 
had  heavy  weather  on  the  passage.  We  arrived 
at  Hamburg  on  the  30th.  After  discharging 
our  cargo,  we  took  on  board  250  tons  of  chalk 
and  then  filled  up  with  empty  oil  bands,  sail- 
ing on  the  10th  of  January,  1877,  for  New 


214  WEST  INDIAN  VOYAGES. 

York.  On  the  22d  we  took  a  heavy  south- 
west gale  and  had  to  put  into  Dartmouth  for 
a  harbor.  While  we  were  there  two  other 
American  vessels  came  in.  We  were  de- 
tained here  five  clays,  when  we  took  a  mod- 
erate wind  from  the  eastward  and  got  under 
weigh,  and  on  the  4th  of  February  passed  St. 
Michael's.  After  leaving  the  islands  we  had 
very  stormy  weather  until  we  got  into  latitude 
24°  N.,  when  we  took  the  northeast  trades 
which  ran  us  to  the  westward  of  Bermuda; 
we  then  took  the  wind  to  the  northward  and 
stood  to  the  westward  across  the  Gulf  Stream 
and  made  Cape  Hatteras  lighthouse ;  the 
wind  then  hauled  to  the  westward  and  gave  us 
a  run  up  the  beach,  and  on  the  20th  of  March 
we  arrived  off  Sandy  Hook,  where  we  took  a 
tug  which  put  us  alongside  the  wharf  in  Brook- 
lyn. After  making  the  schooner  fast,  we  dis- 
charged our  crew,  and  the  following  day  paid 
them  off.  Captain  Tripp,  her  former  master, 
then  took  command  of  her,  and  I  went  home. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Steamer  Mississippi :  First  Officer  and  Pilot  — 
First  Trip  to  the  Azores  —  Second  Trip  —  Third 
Trip  —  St.  Michael's  —  An  Unlucky  Engineer  —  A 
Donkey  Ride  —  Ponta  Delgada  —  Madeira  — 
Funchal  —  Death  on  Board  —  Go  to  Boston  — 
Steamer  sold. 

In  December,  1878,  I  shipped  as  first 
officer  and  pilot  of  the  steamer  Mississippi, 
belonging  to  the  United  States  and  Azorian 
Steam  Packet  Company.  Having  our  freight 
and  passengers  on  board,  we  sailed  from  New 
Bedford  on  the  20th  of  December.  On  the 
28th  we  made  the  island  of  Flores.  As  soon 
as  we  came  to  anchor  a  number  of  boats  came 
alongside  and  took  several  passengers  on 
shore,  some  of  whom  intended  to  remain  there. 
Here  also  we  discharged  a  portion  of  our 
freight.  We  were  at  Fayal  on  the  30th  and 
landed  some  passengers  and  freight  there.  "\\  e 
left  Fayal  on  the  2d  of  January,  1S7(.>,  at 
eight  a.  m.,  and  reached  St.  George  at  eleven, 
and  sailed  again  at  four  r.  M.  Terceira  was 
our  next  stopping-place,  at  which  island  we 


21G  THE   STEAMER   MISSISSIPPI. 

arrived  on  the  following  morning  at  six 
o'clock.     Here  we  remained  for  one  day. 

Terceira  is  circular  in  form  and  about  55 
miles  in  circumference.  It  is  very  fertile.  It 
contains  several  towns  and  villages,  and  is  de- 
fended by  a  number  of  forts.  Angra  is  the 
principal  town. 

On  the  6th  we  got  under  weigh  and  shaped 
our  course  for  St.  Michael's,  where  we  arrived 
on  the  7th  at  seven  a.  m.  At  this  island  we 
remained  five  days,  putting  off  and  taking  on 
freight,  also  taking  on  coal.  Several  passen- 
gers came  on  board.  The  larger  islands  of 
this  group  are  noted  for  their  beautiful  gar- 
dens. There  having  been  a  considerable 
wealth  among  a  few  of  the  Portuguese  for 
many  years,  much  of  it  has  been  expended  in 
beautifying  the  grounds  around  their  houses. 
Several  of  our  ship's  crew  and  passengers  had 
been  on  shore  here. 

On  the  12th  of  January  we  sailed  for  Ter- 
ceira, arriving  there  the  next  day.  Here  we 
remained  for  one  day,  took  on  passengers  and 
freight,  and  sailed  for  Fayal.  At  this  port 
we  remained  until  the  19th,  when  we  left  for 
Mores,  arriving  there  on  the  21st.  We  did 
not  anchor,  as  the  weather  was  bad.  We  re- 
mained here  all  day,  and    after  getting    our 


A    HEAVY  SEA.  217 

passengers  on  board,  we  sailed  that  night  for 
New    Bedford.     We  experienced   heavy  wes- 
terly gales  most  of  the  passage.    On  the  28th, 
when   running  to  the   westward  in   a  heavy 
gale,  we  shipped  a  tremendous  sea  which  filled 
the  decks  and  cabins,  and  stove  in  the  doors 
to  the  engine-room,  nearly  putting  the  fires 
out.     I  was  on  the  bridge  at  the  time,  and 
stopped  the  engine  for  a  moment,  for  if  she 
had  taken  another  sea  at  that  time,  we  would 
have  gone  to  the  bottom.     We  arrived  home 
on  the  4th  of  February  with  about  200  pas- 
sengers and  one  third    loaded    with    freight. 
The  wharf  was  crowded  with  Portuguese  who 
had  come  down  to  meet  their  friends.     After 
discharging  our  freight  we  took  on  board  500 
tons  of   coal.     We 'then  commenced  loading 
again,  and  after  being    loaded   we  took  our 
passengers    and    crew  on   board,  and  on  the 
10th  of   March  sailed  again  for  the  islands. 
We  had  uniform  strong  breezes,  and  nothing 
occurred    to    interrupt  the    usual   routine    of 
duty  on  board  of  a  steamship  during  the  pas- 
sage.    On  the  morning  of  the  18th  at  seven 
o'clock  we  made  the  island  of  Flores.      At 
8.30  o'clock  we  came  to  anchor.     A  number 
of  boats  came  alongside,  some  for  freight  and 
some  to  take  the  passengers  on  shore.     At  six 


218  THE  STEAMER  MISSISSIPPI. 

p.  m.,  having  landed  all  our  freight  and  pas- 
sengers, we  hove  our  anchor  up,  and  shaped 
our  course  for  Fayal,  where  we  arrived  at 
eleven  o'clock  the  following  morning.  Here 
we  landed  a  quantity  of  freight  and  some  pas- 
sengers. Fayal  has  some  small  public  gar- 
dens, but  they  are  almost  crowded  with  beau- 
tiful flowers.  Geraniums,  both  double  and 
single,  are  in  the  greatest  profusion.  On  the 
21st  of  March  we  sailed  for  St.  George  and 
arrived  there  at  two  p.  m.  Left  Fayal  for 
Terceira  at  five  o'clock,  arriving  at  the  latter 
island  the  following  morning,  at  nine  o'clock. 

This  island,  like  the  others  of  the  group,  is 
noted  for  its  churches  and  beautiful  gardens  ; 
but  all  the  necessaries  of  life  are  heavily 
taxed.  Powder  is  contraband.  There  is  also 
a  heavy  duty  on  tobacco. 

March  24th,  having  landed  our  freight  for 
this  port*,  we  got  under  weigh  and  shaped  our 
course  for  St.  Michael's,  which  we  reached  on 
the  25th,  at  ten  a.  m.,  when  the  pilot  came 
on  board  and  put  us  inside  of  the  breakwater. 
Here  we  remained  four  days.  After  dis- 
charging the  freight  belonging  to  this  port, 
we  took  on  board  some  coal  and  water,  also 
fresh  provisions,  and  on  the  29th  sailed  for 
Madeira.     We  had   fine  weather,  and  arrived 


AMONG    THE  AZORES.  219 

there  on  the  2d  of  April.  At  this  port  we 
sent  our  cabin  passengers  on  shore,  so  that 
we  could  clean  the  ship.  The  engineers  also 
drew  their  fires  and  cleaned  the  engines,  and 
gave  the  machinery  a  general  overhauling. 
When  these  things  were  done  we  took  on 
board  450  tons  of  coal  and  4,000  gallons  of 
water,  also  freight  and  passengers,  and  on 
the  7th  sailed  for  St.  Michael's,  arriving  there 
on  the  10th.  Next,  to  Terceira  and  Fayal, 
at  which  latter  we  arrived  on  the  15th.  At 
this  port  we  took  on  board  passengers,  con- 
siderable freight,  some  bullocks,  and  fresh 
provisions ;  and  sailed  on  the  18th  for  Flores, 
which  Ave  reached  on  the  19th,  but  did  not 
anchor.  At  seven  p.  m.  of  that  day  we  sailed 
for  New  Bedford  with  about  250  passengers 
on  board.  During  the  ten  following  days, 
nothing  of  moment  transpired  to  disturb  the 
monotony  which  is  usual  on  board  a  passenger 
steamship. 

On  these  voyages  we  were  in  the  habit  of 
sounding  the  fire-alarm  once  or  twice  a  week, 
and  also  of  exercising  the  boats'  crews  in 
their  duties,  —  matters  which  were  very  inter- 
esting to  the  passengers. 

May  1st,  at  six  a.  m.,  we  passed  Noman's 
Land,  and  at  two  p.  m.  we  were  at  the  steam- 


220  THE  STEAMER   MISSISSIPPI. 

ship  wharf,  which  was  crowded  with  Portu- 
guese, who  had  come  down  to  receive  their 
friends. 

After  landing  our  freight  we  cleaned  and 
painted  the  ship  inside  and  out. 

Qn  the  10th  of  May  we  commenced  taking 
in  our  coal  and  finished  on  the  20th.  June  1 
we  began  receiving  freight  on  board  and 
finished  loading1  on  the  28th.  On  the  after- 
noon  of  the  29th,  having  all  our  passengers 
on  board,  we  left  the  wharf,  and,  once  fairly 
started,  we  had  generally  fine  weather  on  the 
outward  passage,  arriving  at  Flores  on  the 
9th  of  July,  and  coming  to  anchor  at  eight 
a.  m.  We  were  soon  surrounded  by  Portu- 
guese boatmen,  who  had  come  out  to  take  our 
freight  and  passengers  on  shore.  At  four 
p.  m.  we  sailed  for  Fayal.  On  the  morning 
of  Wednesday,  July  9,  we  anchored  off  Horta, 
the  principal  town  of  Fayal.  We  landed  our 
passengers  and  freight,  and  took  on  board 
some  fresh  provisions,  and  on  the  12th  we 
sailed  for  St.  George,  where  we  arrived  at  two 
p.  m.  We  left  this  port  at  five  p.  m.  for  Gra- 
ciosa,  the  principal  productions  of  which  are 
wheat,  wine,  and  cheese.  Here  a  number  of 
our  passengers  took  ox  carts  and  rode  out  to 
the  Caldero,  an  extinct  volcano.     We  sailed 


ST.   MICHAEL'S.  221 

for  Terceira  on  the  15th,  and  arrived  there 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  16th.  The  Roman 
Catholic  bishop  resides  on  this  island.  An- 
gra,  the  principal  town,  has  a  fine  cathedral 
and  several  public  buildings,  the  most  of 
which  are  of  the  Moorish  style  of  architec- 
ture. We  next  sailed  for  St.  Michael's,  where 
we  arrived  on  the  20th,  and  remained  three 
days.  Several  of  our  crew  and  passengers 
were  very  anxious  to  take  a  donkey  ride,  so 
after  dinner  one  day  we  went  in  search  of 
donkeys.  After  spending  some  little  time 
in  running  back  and  forth,  a  party  of  a 
dozen  or  twenty  started  for  the  country. 
About  five  miles  from  the  town  we  came  to  a 
halt  at  one  of  the  most  beautiful  gardens  on 
the  island.  The  garden  was  large  and  had 
some  of  the  finest  ponds  and  rustic  bridges 
that  I  have  ever  seen.  It  also  had  some  fine 
summer-houses,  in  which  were  busts  and 
statuary-  In  °oino-  to  this  garden  we  had  to 
pass  along  a  narrow  road,  between  high  walls, 
ranging  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  high.  These 
walls  were  built  of  a  dark  stone,  and  were 
usually  kept  whitewashed.  No  one  could  tell 
what  was  in  one  of  these  gardens  except  by  go- 
ing into  it.  I  was  told  that  the  object  of  build- 
ing the  walls  so  high  is  to  protect  the  garden 


222  THE  STEAMER  MISSISSIPPI. 

from  the  high  winds  that  occasionally  sweep 
over  the  islands. 

Concerning  the  lower  class  on  these  is- 
lands, I  have  little  to  say.  One  Sunday  after- 
noon one  of  our  engineers  went  on  shore 
at  Ponta  Delgada  to  spend  a  few  hours  in 
sight-seeing.  After  cruising  around  nearly 
all  night,  he  brought  up  in  the  office  of  the 
hotel,  and  told  the  landlord  that  he  had  lost 
his  hat  and  shoes.  It  seems  that  in  the 
course  of  the  afternoon  he  had  imbibed 
somewhat  freely,  and  when  night  came  on 
he  was  unable  to  go  on  board,  so  he  laid 
down  on  one  of  the  benches  of  the  plaza  and 
went  to  sleep.  During  the  night  some  kind 
friend  came  along  and  relieved  him  of  his 
fine  hat  and  shoes.  Of  course  there  was 
nothing  for  him  to  do  but  to  borrow  a  hat 
and  a  pair  of  shoes  and  make  the  best  of  his 
way  to  the  ship.  -  After  undergoing  this  ex- 
perience he  felt  satisfied  that  though  the  cli- 
mate of  these  islands  may  make  out-door 
lodging  agreeable,  the  peculiarities  of  the 
people  render  it  somewhat  expensive,  and  said 
that  he  should  be  more  careful  in  future. 

On  the  eastern  side  of  the  island  are  a 
number  of  boiling  springs.  Fleas  are  very 
numerous  on  all   the  islands,  and   are   con- 


ST.   MIC HA E US.  223 

stantly  at  work,  particularly  on  strangers.  I 
do  not  think  they  prey  on  the  Portuguese  so 
much.  About  thirteen  miles  from  the  city  is 
a  place  called  Seven  Cities.  I  suppose  it  takes 
its  name  from  the  seven  little  lakes.  The 
scenery  is  very  beautiful.  The  water  which 
supplies  Ponta  Delgada  is  taken  from  these 
lakes,  and  is  brought  into  the  town  on  the 
backs  of  donkeys. 

Twenty-four  miles  from  Ponta  Delgada  is 
a  fine  village,  situated  in  a  beautiful  valley 
called  the  Furnas.  This  is  the  summer  resort 
of  the  people  of  the  town  and  surrounding 
villages.  Here  are  the  famous  hot  springs 
which  were  left  some  two  hundred  years  ago 
by  a  volcano. 

The  principal  productions  of  St.  Michael's 
are  oranges  and  pineapples,  which  are  culti- 
vated with  great  success,  —  the  former  in  the 
open  air,  and  the  latter  in  hot-houses.  The 
greater  part  of  the  fruit  is  shipped  to  England 
by  steamers,  which  run  regularly  through  the 
winter  months.  Ponta  Delgada  now  has  a 
fine  breakwater  which  accommodates  some 
150  vessels,  so  that  all  vessels  can  go  inside 
and  be  well  protected  from  the  heavy  gales 
that  prevail  during  the  winter  months.  The 
island  is  a  great  winter  resort  for  Europeans, 


224  THE  STEAMER   MISSISSIPPI. 

and  particularly  for  invalids  who  come  here  in 
search  of  health. 

On  the  24th  of  July  we  left  this  beautiful 
island  for  Madeira.  We  had  a  most  delight- 
ful,  smooth  passage,  and  arrived  there  on  the 
27th,  when  we  landed  all  our  passengers  in 
order  that  we  might  clean  ship. 

Madeira  was  discovered  by  the  Portuguese 
in  1419.  It  was  uninhabited,  and,  being 
covered  with  wood,  it  was  called  Madeira. 
The  wine  produced  here  is  held  in  the  highest 
estimation,  especially  that  which  has  been  car- 
ried on  a  voyage  to  the  East  or  West  Indies. 
The  scorching  heat  of  summer  and  the  icy 
chill  of  winter  are  here  unknown  ;  for  spring 
reigns  continually,  and  flowers  and  fruits  are 
produced  throughout  the  year.  Canary-birds 
and  goldfinches  are  found  in  the  mountains. 
Madeira  is  well  watered  and  populous.  The 
British  factory  settled  in  this  island  consists 
of  upwards  of  twenty  commercial  houses,  and 
controls  the  greater  part  of  its  trade. 

Funchal  is  built  on  a  steep  declivity.  I 
have  often  heard  it  said  that  it  is  the  most 
beautiful  spot  on  the  globe,  and  indeed  many 
travelers  think  that  it  is  rivaled  only  by  Na- 
ples. The  view  from  the  old  church  of  Nassa 
Senhora   do   Monte  (Our  Lady  of  the  Moun- 


A    DEATH  OX    THE  STEAM  EH.  225 

tain)  is  a  magnificent  one,  including  as  it 
does  the  bay  and  the  town  with  its  narrow 
paved  streets  and  white  houses  mingled  with 
masses  of  verdure,  as  well  as  a  large  part  of 
the  island.  Travelers  go  up  to  the  church  on 
curious  wicker-work  sleds  drawn  by  enormous 
fawn-colored  oxen.  The  descent  is  made  by 
force  of  gravity,  and  at  a  pretty  rapid  rate. 

After  remaining  here  five  days,  discharging 
and  loading  freight,  we  took  our  passengers 
on  board,  and  on  the  2d  of  August  sailed 
for  St.  Michael's,  where  we  arrived  on  the 
5th,  and,  taking  freight  on  board,  sailed  for 
Terceira,  reaching  that  island  on  the  7th. 
Here  we  remained  one  day  and  sailed  for 
Fayal,  arriving  there  on  the  9th.  We  took 
on  board  a  large  quantity  of  oil  and  passen- 
gers and  left  for  Flores,  our  last  stopping-place 
among1  the  islands,  on  the  15th,  and  arrived 
there  on  the  16th.  After  taking  some  pas- 
sengers and  live  bullocks  on  board,  we  sailed 
at  seven  p.  M.  for  New  Bedford.  On  the  22d 
a  young  lady  passenger  died  of  dysentery,  and 
on  the  following  morning  at  eight  o'clock  we 
stopped  the  steamer  and  buried  her  in  the 
sea.  This  was  the  only  death  that  we  had  on 
the  steamer  during  the  fourteen  months  that 
I  was  on  board  of  her.     On   the  2d  of   Sep- 


22G  THE  STEAMER   MISSISSIPPI. 

tember  we  arrived  in  New  Bedford,  and  soon 
had  our  passengers  landed.  The  next  day  we 
began  discharging1  our  oil,  and  on  the  4th  Ave 
finished.  We  afterwards  made  three  voyages 
to  the  islands.  On  our  return  on  the  last 
voyage  in  March,  1880,  we  came  into  Boston 
with  freight  and  passengers.  Here  the 
steamer  was  hauled  up  on  account  of  poor 
boilers,  and  afterwards  sold. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

East  Indian  Voyages  :  Bark  Victor  bound  for  Singa- 
pore —  On  the  Coast  of  Java  —  Arrival  at  Singa- 
pore —  Homeward  Voyage  —  Second  Voyage  — 
Penang  —  Singapore  —  Javanese  —  At  Home — 
Third  Voyage  —  Sailors'  Duties  —  Doldrums  —  At 
Penang  —  At  Singapore  —  The  Disaster  in  Strait 
of  Sunda  —  Off  Cape  of  Good  Hope  —  At  St.  Helena 
—  The  Bark  Victor  sold  —  Loss  of  the  Bark  — 
Conclusion. 

Ix  July,  1880,  I  went  to  Philadelphia  to 
look  after  the  repairs  of  the  bark  Catalpa  of 
New  Bedford.  They  were  completed  in  Au- 
gust, when  I  went  to  New  York  and  took  com- 
mand of  the  bark  Victor  of  Boston,  which 
w7as  being*  loaded  with  case  oil  for  Singapore 
On  the  24th  of  August  the  crew  and  pilot 
came  on  board,  and  at  11.30  a.  m.  we  took 
in  our  lines  and  proceeded  dowrn  the  river  in 
tow  of  the  C.  W.  Standard.  At  3.45  p.  m. 
the  pilot  and  steamer  left  us  west  of  the  light- 
ship. At  4.15  p.  m.  the  lightship  bore  S. 
by  compass,  distance  two  miles,  from  which  I 
took  my  departure. 


228  EAST  INDIAN  VOYAGES. 

The  bark  Victor  was  built  in  Fairhaven  for 
Captain  William  G.  Bladder,  Thomas  Cun- 
ningham, and  others  of  Boston.  She  regis- 
tered 696  tons  and  rated  A  1. 

After  leaving  Sandy  Hook  we  had  strong 
winds  and  squally  weather.  September  2  we 
spoke  the  brig  Lome  of  Halifax,  bound  to 
Halifax,  with  foremast,  jibboom,  and  main- 
topmast  carried  away  in  a  hurricane.  We 
offered  him  assistance,  but  the  captain  said 
he  did  not  require  any,  so  we  kept  on  our 
course  again.  We  now  had  very  light  winds 
from  the  southward,  with  squalls,  until  Octo- 
ber 15th,  when  we  crossed  the  line  in  long. 
27°  W.  We  then  took  the  southeast  trades 
in  lat.  5°  S.  Crew  employed  in  repairing 
sails,  fitting  rigging,  etc. 

Nothing-  material  occurred  during;  the  next 
three  months.  We  had  plenty  of  gales  of 
wind  and  squally  weather  in  running  up  our 
easting. 

On  the  morning  of  January  9,  1881,  we 
made  Java  Head,  the  southwestern  point  of 
Java.  Also  sighted  the  high  land  on  the 
island  of  Sumatra,  and  the  high  island  of 
Crockatoa,  bearing  E.  N.  E.,  distance  about 
twenty  miles. 

January  10.     This  day  strong  winds  from 


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ANJER.  229 

the  N.  N.  E.  Employed  in  working  up 
through  the  Strait  of  Sunda  in  company  with 
several  vessels. 

January  14.  At  eleven  p.  m.  came  to  an- 
chor at  Anjer,  in  fourteen  fathoms  of  water  ; 
gave  the  bark  forty-five  fathoms  of  chain, 
furled  all  sails,  and  set  an  anchor  watch. 

At  seven  o'clock  on  the  following;  morning: 
I  went  on  shore  for  a  pilot  to  take  us  to  Sin- 
gapore, and  at  five  p.  m.,  with  a  light  wind 
from  the  E.  S.  E.,  we  got  under  weigh. 

Anjer  is  a  small  village  on  the  coast  of 
Java.  It  is  a  port  of  call  for  vessels  to  pur- 
chase provisions,  water,  and  take  on  pilots. 
Bumboats  come  off  to  the  ships  having  for 
sale  fruit  and  provisions,  monkeys,  fowls, 
shells,  and  birds. 

January  18,  at  1.45  a.  m.,  we  came  to 
anchor  at  Lucipara  Island,  in  company  with 
an  English  bark  and  two  steamers.  On  the 
19th  we  spoke  the  American  bark  Stillman  B. 
Allen  of  Boston,  bound  to  New  York.  Had 
buried  her  steward  in  the  China  Sea.  Janu- 
ary 20,  at  three  a.  m.  tide  turned  to  the  north- 
west, when  we  got  under  weigh  and  worked 
up  off  Banca  Point,  and  came  to  anchor  in 
fifteen  fathoms  of  water.  Furled  all  sails.  It 
was  blowing  heavy  from  the  northwest. 


230  EAST  INDIAN  VOYAGES. 

January  30.  This  day  fine,  N.  N.  W. 
winds.  At  anchor  under  Banea  Island  wait- 
ing for  the  flood  tide.  At  three  p.  m.  a  boat 
came  alongside  from  the  British  bark  James 
Bolt  from  North  Shields,  112  days  out,  bound 
to  Singapore. 

We  were  several  days  in  getting  through 
Banca  Straits  on  account  of  the  head  winds 
and  head  tides.  We  arrived  at  Singapore  on 
the  8th  of  February. 

After  discharging  our  cargo,  we  loaded  a 
general  cargo  for  New  York  and  sailed  on  the 
25th  of  March.  We  came  down  through 
Rhio  and  Banca  Straits,  and  on  April  5  we 
passed  the  town  of  Anjer.  At  five  a.  m. 
Flat  Point  bore  N.  by  compass,  distance  fifteen 
miles,  from  which  I  took  my  departure. 

We  had  fine  weather  in  runnino-  down  the 
southeast  trades.  May  8,  when  lying  to  in  a 
heavy  westerly  gale,  we  shipped  a  tremendous 
sea  which  carried  away  the  wheel  gear.  On 
the  9th,  during  a  heavy  gale  shipped  a  sea 
aft,  which  carried  away  the  wheel  and  flooded 
the  decks  with  water.  All  hands  were  em- 
ployed in  securing  the  wheel  and  clearing  up 
the  decks. 

May  12.  This  day  commenced  with  light 
winds  and  calms.     At  one  P.  M.  we  spoke  the 


HOMEWARD  VOYAGE.  231 

British  bark  Mount  Levanon  of  St.  John, 
N.  B.,  sixty  days  from  Manila,  bound  to  Bos- 
ton. She  was  badly  injured  in  the  late  gales. 
The  coast  of  Africa  in  sight ;  also  two  barks 
bound  to  the  westward.  At  eleven  a.  m. 
Alago  Bay  bore  N.  by  compass,  distance 
twenty-one  miles. 

Sunday,  May  15.  This  day  commenced 
with  light  winds  from  the  southeast.  Steering" 
N.  W.  by  W.  At  five  a.  m.  we  made  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  light,  bearing  N.  E.,  distance 
twenty  miles.  Hauled  up  N.  W.  for  St. 
Helena. 

On  the  7th  of  June  we  touched  at  James- 
town for  provisions.  At  six  p.  m.  we  left  for 
New  York,  crossing  the  line  on  the  22d  of 
June  in  long.  33°  40'  W.  During  the  follow- 
ing days  our  crew  were  employed  in  cleaning 
and  painting  ship  inside,  fitting  and  tarring 
the  rigging,  etc.  Nothing  material  occurred 
until  on  the  afternoon  of  the  28th  of  July, 
when  we  spoke  the  ship  Galatea  of  Baltimore, 
Captain  Pilsbury,  from  Baltimore  for  Ham- 
burg, from  which  we  were  supplied  with  fresh 
provisions. 

July  29.  We  bent  our  chains  and  made 
preparations  for  going  into  port.  Several 
vessels  were  seen   running  to  the  southward. 


232  EAST  INDIAN  VOYAGES. 

and  some  to  the  eastward,  which  was  of  much 
interest  to  us,  having  had  so  long  a  passage. 
With  the  exception  of  the  vessels  seen  off  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  we  had  fallen  in  with 
only  two  or  three  vessels  for  four  months. 
All  was  now  excitement  on  board.  At  seven 
a.  m.  we  took  a  pilot  twenty  miles  southeast 
of  Sandy  Hook.  At  ten  o'clock  a  tug  came 
alongside  and  took  us  to  Pier  38,  East  River. 

September  14.  At  one  p.  m.  the  crew  and 
pilot  came  on  board  in  the  tug,  when  we  took 
in  our  lines  and  were  towed  to  Sandy  Hook. 
At  six  p.  m.  the  pilot  and  steamer  left  us. 

We  had  quite  an  amount  of  bad  weather 
on  this  passage.  We  crossed  the  line  on  the 
8th  of  November  in  long.  31°  30'  W.,  and 
had  southerly  winds  until  the  25th,  when  we 
took  the  southeast  trades  and  ran  up  our 
easting  in  39°  S.,  with  strong  southwest  and 
westerly  winds  and  squally  weather.  After 
passing  St.  Paul's  Island,  we  headed  to  the 
northward,  and  had  fair  winds  and  fine 
weather.  We  continued  on  a  northerly  course, 
without  anything  material  transpiring,  until 
March  9,  1882,  when  we  made  the  northwest 
point  of  Pulo  Penang,  bearing  N.  E.  by  N., 
distance  five  miles.  At  ten  p.  m.  we  came  to 
anchor,  and  on  the  following  day  began  dis- 
charging our  cargo  of  oil. 


PENAN  G.  233 

Penang,  or  Prince  of  Wales  Island,  is  two 
miles  from  the  west  coast  of  the  Malay  penin- 
sula, and  is  eighteen  miles  long-  and  eight  broad. 
The  channel  to  the  mainland  is  a  safe  road 
for  ships.  This  island  was  purchased  of  the 
King  of  Queda  by  the  East  India  Company, 
who  formed  a  settlement  here  in  1786,  and, 
in  five  years  after,  George  Town,  its  capital, 
was  established  a  seaport.  The  inhabitants 
were  estimated  in  1805  at  14,000,  since 
which  time  thev  have  considerably  increased. 
The  military  band  plays  once  a  week  at  the 
Park,  back  of  the  town.  The  weather  here 
is  extremely  hot. 

After  discharging  two  thirds  of  our  cargo 
here,  we  sailed  for  Singapore,  leaving  at  six 
a.  m.  on  the  27th  of  March,  and  went 
through,  the  Strait  of  Malacca  with  line 
wTeather  and  moderate  winds.  On  the  3d  of 
April,  at  ten  a.  m.,  we  came  to  anchor  off 
Singapore.  Here  we  discharged  the  rest  of 
our  cargo,  loaded  with  gambier,  tin,  coffee, 
sugar,  and  rattans,  and  on  the  7th  of  May 
sailed  for  New  York.  We  left  several  Ameri- 
can vessels  in  port  waiting  for  freights. 

Singapore  is  an  island  at  the  southern  ex- 
tremity of  the  Mahv  peninsula,  from  which 
it  is  separated  by  a  narrow  channel.  It  has  a 
town  of  the  same  name. 


234  EAST  INDIAN  VOYAGES. 

We  passed  through  Rhio  and  Banca  Straits, 
and  were  off  Anjer  on  the  18th  of  May. 
Here  boats  came  off,  bringing  fowls,  monkeys, 
birds,  and  all  kinds  of  fruit.  The  natives 
are  short  and  copper-colored.  The  men  dress 
in  jacket  and  pants,  and  the  women  wear  the 
sarong  and  cobaiya.  The  teeth  of  the  latter 
are  stained  black  by  chewing  betel-nut.  The 
houses  are  built  of  bamboo,  with  thatched 
roofs,  and  as  they  are  raised  on  posts,  entrance 
is  effected  by  means  of  ladders. 

At  seven  p.  m.  we  passed  Java  Head,  and 
had  fine  southeast  trades.  We  passed  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  on  the  27th  of  June,  and  on  the 
31st  of  July  touched  at  St.  Helena  for  water 
and  fresh  provisions.  Mr.  William  Crouch, 
the  late  American  consul  at  St.  Helena,  and 
Mrs.  Crouch,  took  passage  with  us.  Our 
crew  were  now  employed  in  cleaning  and 
painting  ship,  fitting  rigging,  and  getting 
everything  ready  for  going  into  port.  On 
the  26th  of  August  we  arrived  at  Sandy 
Hook  and  took  a  tug,  which  put  us  at  Pier 
38,  East  River.  The  day  following  our  ar- 
rival the  crew  were  paid  off  and  discharged. 

On  the  3d  of  November  at  eleven  a.  m.  we 
took  our  crew  and  pilot  on  board  from  the 
foot  of  52d   Street.     At  twelve  m.  the  tug 


OFF  TO  SEA.  235 

came  alongside  and  took  us  through  Hell 
Gate.  At  four  p.  m.  the  tug  left  us,  and  we 
proceeded  through  the  Sound.  At  eight  a.  m. 
on  the  following  morning  the  pilot  left  us 
to  the  westward  of  Block  Island,  from  which 
I  took  my  departure.  The  wind  being  at  the 
northward,  we  had  a  fine  run  off  shore.  The 
crew  were  set  at  work  stowing  the  anchors, 
unbending  the  chains  and  stowing  them 
away,  and  clearing  up  the  decks.  At  six 
p.  m.  the  watches  were  chosen,  the  starboard 
watch  being  sent  below  until  eight  p.  m.  In 
accordance  with  the  old  maxim,  the  captain 
takes  the  ship  out  and  the  mate  brings  her 
home. 

When  merchant  vessels  are  about  to  leave 
the  wharf,  the  crews  go  on  board  and  are 
generally  more  or  less  under  the  influence  of 
liquor,  so  if  one  chooses  to  have  a  row,  it  is 
the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  get  one. 
We  *rave  the  crew  watch  and  watch,  and 
Saturday  afternoon  was  allowed  them  for 
mending  and  washing  clothes. 

We  crossed  the  line  when  twenty-five  days 
out,  in  long.  31°  W.  We  had  had  good  breezes 
till  we  reached  lat.  28°  N.,  long.  41°  W.,  but 
after  crossing  the  line  we  had  moderate  winds 
and  calms  for  a  few  days,  when  we  took  the 


2S6  EAST  INDIAN  VOYAGES. 

northeast  trades,  running  along  nine  and  ten 
knots  per  hour.  Porpoises  and  dolphins  were 
continually  darting  across  our  bows.  There 
is  always  something  to  be  seen,  and  life  is 
never  monotonous. 

December  13.  No  change  or  interruption 
o£  wind  or  weather  has  taken  place  during 
the  preceding  days,  and  the  usual  routine  of 
duty  has  been  carried  on.  We  now  find  our- 
selves within  five  degrees  of  the  line,  and  for 
ten  days  we  have  had  the  doldrums.  The 
bark  has  drifted  about  with  light  winds  from 
all  points  of  the  compass.  In  these  doldrums 
torrents  of  rain  fall,  and  the  air  is  sultry  and 
oppressive.  This  is  certainly  one  of  the  most 
unpleasant  regions  on  our  globe. 

We  finally  crossed  the  line,  when  the  breeze 
began  to  freshen  and  draw  round  to  the 
southeast.  Our  crew  were  variously  employed 
in  getting  the  bark  in  order  while  running; 
down  these  trades.  After  leaving  the  trades 
we  continued  running  to  the  southward  and 
eastward  until  we  were  in  lat.  39°  S.  ;  then  we 
ran  to  the  eastward  to  about  long.  75°  E.,  and 
then  gradually  turned  our  course  to  the  north- 
ward ;  when  we  struck  the  southeast  trades. 
We  were  twenty-five  days  on  the  southwest 
coast    of    Sumatra  in   calms   and  heavy  rain- 


LAND  HO!  237 

squalls.  The  change  of  weather  and  fair 
wind  brought  a  corresponding  change  of 
feeling  among  the  ship's  company,  and  when 
the  cry  of  "  Land  ho  !  "  was  heard  from  the 
masthead,  on  the  afternoon  of  April  8,  it  was 
to  the  unspeakable  satisfaction  of  all  on 
board,  it  being-  the  first  land  seen  since  we 
left  the  United  States.  The  usual  prepara- 
tions were  made  for  coming  to  an  anchor, 
such  as  bending  cables  and  getting-  anchors 
over  the  bows.  The  anchorage  at  Penang 
being  on  the  east  side  of  the  island,  we  ran 
round  the  north  point  into  the  harbor,  and 
came  to  anchor  in  thirteen  fathoms  of  water, 
and  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant  from 
the  shore.  We  purchased  some  fresh  pro- 
visions and  water,  and  after  remaining  there 
for  one  week,  we  received  orders  to  proceed 
to  Singapore  to  discharge  cargo.  So  on  the 
loth  we  got  under  weigh  and  went  out  of  the 
South  Channel.  We  had  light  winds  going 
through  the  Strait  of  Malacca,  and  arrived  at 
Singapore  on  the  20th  of  April  at  three  P.  M. 
We  now  had  the  pleasure  of  a  good  night's 
sleep,  which  was  greatly  appreciated  by  all  on 
board. 

At  Singapore  we  discharged  our  cargo  and 
remained  for  some   time   waiting  to  charter. 


238  EAST  INDIAN  VOYAGES. 

We  finally  succeeded  in  chartering  the  bark 
for  New  York,  and  after  loading  a  cargo  of 
gambier,  sugar,  coffee,  nutmegs,  and  rattans, 
left  Singapore  on  the  9th  of  August.  We 
went  through  Singapore  Strait,  and  then  had 
the  pleasure  of  beating  up  the  Carimata  Pas- 
sage against  a  head  monsoon  and  an  opposing 
current. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  20th  we  made  the 
land  off  the  town  of  Anjer,  but  could  not 
see  anv  town,  and  through  the  afternoon  we 
were  sailing  among  dead  bodies  floating  upon 
the  water,  which  was  very  much  discolored. 
At  dark  no  harbor  light  was  to  be  seen,  and 
the  light  on  Fourth  Point  was  also  gone. 
The  only  light  on  the  coast  that  was  to  be 
seen  was  at  Java  Head.  Another  peculiar 
thinsr  was  that  not  a  boat  came  off  to  us.  I 
told  the  mate  that  something  was  wrong  on 
shore ;  the  land  all  along  the  coast  looked  as 
though  there  had  been  a  fire  which  had 
burned  over  the  whole  of  the  country.  The 
following  day  we  saw  more  bodies  floating 
upon  the  water.  In  one  instance  they  were 
so  numerous  that  we  had  to  tack  ship  to  keep 
clear  of  them.  We  sailed  through  this  dis- 
colored water  for  a  week  after  leaving  Java 
Head.     We  had  very  good  weather  until  we 


DISASTER  AT  AN  J  Ell.  239 

made  the  land  off  Port  Elizabeth,  on  the  coast 
of  Africa.  We  then  had  heavy  gales  from 
southwest  to  northwest,  which  lasted  for  sev- 
eral days.  When  it  cleared  off  we  found  that 
the  westerly  current  had  taken  us  in  sight  of 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  lighthouse.  AW*  then 
took  a  light  wind  from  the  southeast  which 
carried  us  round  the  cape,  and  consequently 
we  bore  away  to  the  northward  and  westward, 
with  a  fine  southeast  trade  wind,  and  set 
every  sail  that  would  draw  to  advantage. 
Our  crew  were  now  engfag-ed  in   cleaning:  and 

O      ©  © 

painting  ship  inside,  fitting  and  tarring  down 
the   rio'crinor    etc.     On    the    morning'    of    the 

O©        ©'  © 

27th  of  October  we  made  the  island  of  St. 
Helena,  and  at  ten  a.  m.  came  to  anchor  in 
fifteen  fathoms  of  water.  I  went  on  shore 
and  purchased  some  provisions  and  water. 

It  was  while  on  shore  that  I  learned  of  the 
volcanic  eruption  and  tidal  wave  at  Anjer, 
which  destroyed  60,000  people.  We  were 
only  500  miles  from  the  locality  at  the  time. 
and  heard  the  report  very  distinctly.  W  e 
supposed  the  Dutch  men-of-war  were  bombard- 
ing: some  of  the  towns  on  Sumatra. 
© 

We  took  on  board  as  passengers  Mr.  James 
A.  McKnight,  the  United  States  consul,  and 
his   family,  at   St.   Helena.      We   left    at    >ix 


240  EAST  INDIAN    VOYAGES. 

p.  m.  with  a  fine  southeast  wind,  and  on  the 
11th  of  November  crossed  the  line  in  long. 
33°  30'  W.  We  had  lio-ht  south  to  southeast 
winds  and  squally  weather  for  several  days. 
In  lat.  9°  30'  N.,  we  took  the  wind  from  the 
northeast.  December  18,  at  seven  p.  m.  we 
took  a  pilot  on  board  off  Barnegat,  and  at 
eight  a.  m.  on  the  following  morning  a  tug 
met  us  off  Sandy  Hook  and  towed  us  to  the 
city,  and  put  us  in  at  Pier  40,  East  River. 
After  making  the  bark  fast  we  discharged 
our  crew. 

When  the  cargo  had  been  discharged  the 
bark  was  opened  for  inspection,  and  her  tim- 
bers found  to  be  very  much  decayed,  and  as  a 
consequence  the  owner,  Mr.  Thomas  Cunning- 
ham of  Boston,  decided  to  sell  her.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1884,  he  sold  her  to  a  German  house. 
She  was  repaired  and  loaded  with  case  oil  for 
Java.  She  reached  her  port  all  right,  and 
after  discharging  her  cargo  went  to  the  Isle 
of  France  and  loaded  a  cargo  of  sugar  for 
Nantes,  France,  and  was  lost  on  the  home- 
ward passage. 

This  was  the  last  vessel  that  my  owner  had. 
There  is  not  an  employ  that  I  ever  sailed  for 
that  owns  a  vessel  to-day.  When  the  bark 
was  sold  I  came  home,  and  have  remained  on 


CONCLUSION.  l>41 

shore  ever  since.  After  having  had  thirty-five 
years'  experience  on  the  ocean,  I  would  Bay 
that  if  strangers  received  less  encouragement 
from  our  merchants  and  shipmasters,  and 
proper  encouragement  were  given  to  Ameri- 
can seamen,  in  a  few  years  America  would  be 
able  to  boast,  not  only  of  the  skill  and 
courage,  but  also  of  the  sobriety  and  the  in- 
telligence of  her  seamen,  and  also  have  some 
of  the  smartest  navigators  on  the  face  of  the 
globe. 

CONCLUSION. 

Now,  kind  friends,  a  few  more  words  and 
my  story  closes.  I  have  written  only  what 
has  actually  come  under  my  own  personal 
observation.  I  have  passed  over  many  inci- 
dents that  have  taken  place  during  my  thirty- 
five  years'  experience  on  the  ocean,  which  I 
will  endeavor  to  give  you  more  fully  should 
I  write  a  second  volume.  My  last  voyage  was 
much  like  the  others  I  had  taken  between 
New  York  and  China,  and  therefore  merits 
no  special  description. 

And  now  one  word  for  the  poor  Bailor.  It 
has  often  been  asked,  What  course  shall  we 
pursue  with   sailors  while  at  sea.  in   order  to 


242  CONCLUSION. 

have  good  discipline  on  board  of  a  ship  ? 
In  the  first  place  I  would  say,  give  them  a 
good  comfortable  forecastle  to  live  in,  and 
good  wholesome  food,  and  see  that  it  is  prop- 
erly cooked  for  them  ;  give  them  watch  and 
watch  below,  and  never  put  them  on  allow- 
ance of  provisions  except  when  necessity  de- 
mands it.  I  do  not  know  why  sailors  should 
not  be  treated  as  well  as  landsmen,  if  they 
behave  themselves.  I  know  that  there  is  a 
feeling"  among  landsmen  that  sailors  come 
from  the  most  degraded  part  of  society,  but 
this  is  a  great  mistake,  and  one  that  arises 
solely  from  unjust  prejudices.  When  I  was 
a  lad  many  boys  from  the  first  families  of 
New  England  entered  upon  the  business  of  a 
sea  life  as  they  would  any  other  profession. 


FOURTEEN  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 


This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


Jan'56SSX 





9§e 


--* 


(J  si  i 





fatanwj  fcy 


-££&-, 


1973" 


^^j/,^ 


REC.  CIR.      APR        4 


79 


LD  21-100m-2,'55 
(B139s22)476 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


YB 


M317296 


